Our Last Stand
by GAT-X105VividPanzer
Summary: When DES finds a portal leading back to the year 2013, it is up to Muse to defend the world. Helping them is the intergalactic group AKB0048. Together can they save the timeline from the machinations of DES? Collaboration with CarlVonSchwann
1. Chapter 1

ALTERNATE DIMENSION (SENSEI-SENSEI)

Yuuko Ooshima the 9th could hear them. She could hear the voices of those girls, the understudies, who right now are fighting to take back Akibastar from the DES forces.  
"Go on and join them."  
Yuuko saw Maeda Atsuko the 13th encouraging her. Here in this alternate dimension, those that have been chosen to become Center Nova have been singing forevermore, to keep them from DES' grasp.  
Yuuko nodded. "Alright. But.. one thing. I know before me, there has been a Yuuko Oshima who had become Center Nova… where is she? I don't see her here."  
"Oh, her? Don't worry," Acchan replied. "She's fine. Her place is not here, but somewhere else…."

KOUSAKA RESIDENCE, EARTH, YEAR 2013

Honoka Kousaka, school idol and leader of the group Muse, was still in bed, despite the best efforts of her younger sister, Yukiho. "Wake up, Onee-chan! You're going to be late!"  
"Wha-what? Let me sleep, Yukiho…"  
Yukiho sighed. Fine, if that's the way it's gonna be.  
She grabbed bucket of ice cold water and splashed it all on Honoka's face.  
Honoka jolted upright. "What the hell, Yukiho!"  
Yukiho shrugged. "Finally, you're up."  
"Come on," Honoka said as she grabbed her alarm clock. "I'm not that late, it's only…"  
The expression on her face changed as she realized that yes, she is late.  
"Oh no, Umi-chan will be angry at me again!"  
Honoka got up and rushed downstairs

OUTER SPACE, DES BATTLESHIP _GUSION_

"Captain, we have just received word. Akibastar has fallen. It is once again occupied by AKB0048."  
Captain Hayato Nakajima slammed his fist on the armrest of the captain's chair in the ship's bridge. They were too late.  
The _Gusion_ was part of a small group that was sent to support the troops already on Akibastar.  
"What about the commanding ship of the fleet assigned to Akibastar? What of the _Barbatos_?"  
"The other members of the fleet were found in another sector of space. As for the _Barbatos…_ whereabouts unknown, sir," the aide replied.  
Nakajima shook his head. He was a seasoned commander, as can be seen from the lines of his face. He was already pushing fifty years old and is well-known throughout DES.  
"Dammnit. Victory was already within our grasp, and you're telling me that not only we have lost a ship but Aikbastar has been taken back by those 00 fools?"  
"Sir, we are detecting kirara nearby!" declared one of the men on the bridge.  
Nakajima stood up. "Impossible. This area is currently under DES command, and there have been no reports of AKB operating in here. Where is it coming from?"  
More typing from the soldier manning the computer. "Sir, it came from that wormhole."  
Nakajima weighed his options. Maybe this was an AKB trick. But maybe…  
He remembered attending this lecture once, about the possibilities in Space-Time. Maybe, just maybe…  
"Enter the wormhole."  
"… Sir?"  
"Our fleet will enter the wormhole! Understood?"  
"Yes sir!"  
Nakajima sat down and closed his eyes, hoping that what's on the other side will be beneficial to DES.

"Sir!"  
Nakajima opened his eyes. They made it?  
"Alright, men. We made it. Zala, give me a status report!"  
Zala gave no response.  
"Hello? Zala! Status report!"  
"Sir… look at that."  
Directly in front of them was familiar planet. But instead of the wasteland that it was supposed to be, it was lush, with the oceans blue and the continents filled with green.  
"Is that… Earth!?"  
"..Yes, sir. According to our data, that is Planet Earth. And sir… you won't believe it, but according to our data, the year is 2013."  
"So… we have travelled back in time?" Nakajima said. "And the Kirara response…"  
Sir, it mostly likely came from there."  
Nakajima thought about it. "Hmm. So it means there are idols already before, during this year. However, I'm pretty sure 00 doesn't exist yet, so if we attack them now that means we can stop 00 from forming!"  
Nakajima smiled.  
 _Finally, victory is ours._


	2. Chapter 2

Honoka rushed out of the house, bread in her mouth like a stereotypical anime character. At first she was so focused on getting to school, but then she saw that the people around her have stopped and are pointing to the sky.  
Honoka opened her mouth in shock, dropping the bread onto the ground.  
 _Those…. Those are portals that are opened by Kirara drives!_  
Her wonder was replaced by terror, however, when she saw what emerged from the portal.  
DES LAS.  
The DES mecha were humanoid shaped, although it had no head. In one hand was the mecha's weapon, a submachine gun. She could tell by its movements that it was unmanned.  
 _H-How did they get here?!_

Honoka started running back to her house. On the way she bumped into Kotori and Umi, her two best friends and fellow members of Muse. Honoka and Umi collided, and both ended up on the ground.  
"Honoka!"  
"U-Umi-chan…" Honoka stood up and tried to run again, but Umi grasped on her arm. The blue-haired songwriter wasn't letting her go.  
"Wait, Honoka! Where are you going? We have to get away from those things! They're dangerous!"  
"She's right, Honoka-chan!" Kotori added. The ash-haired girl had worry all over her face. "I've already called our friends to confirm if they're safe."  
Honoka broke free from Umi's grasp.  
"I'm sorry, Umi-chan, Kotori-chan. This is something I have to do."  
She continued running back towards her house. On the way, she bumped and pushed through a crowd which was going against her like a strong torrent. The looks on their faces said that they were panicking and were seeking refuge. _I have to ensure that these people are safe, and to do that, I have to defeat these mechs!_  
"What… was that about?" Umi asked, staring at Honoka's retreating form. "Something she has to do?"  
"Let's follow her!" Kotori said. Already she was starting toward the direction Honoka went.

Honoka finally got to her house. Her parents and Yukiho were staying inside, unsure what to do.  
"Honoka, thank goodness you've returned!" her mother said. "We were worried…"  
Honoka ignored her and rushed towards the house's storage room. She started pushing boxes away.  
"Onee-chan, what are you doing?" Yukiho asked.  
"I'll explain everything when this is all over, okay?" Honoka replied. "Please. Just trust me on this."  
Honoka pressed a button that was hidden by all those boxes, which revealed a secret door on the floor. She went down through a flight of spiral stairs into a room that seems like it came out of a science fiction novel. Futuristic weapons were mounted on the walls. Honoka ignored them all and proceeded to the center of the room, where a mech was waiting. It was an AKB0048-use LAS. Unlike the DES LAS, this one looked even less humanoid, with a main body like the front of a jet. However, it had humanoid arms and legs, and was armed with the same thing that the DES LAS did.  
She opened the cockpit. She had maintained it continuously, so it booted up without a hitch.  
 _LAS Online  
_ "Alright… let's see if I still got this."  
Honoka pressed a button to open the hatch on the ceiling above her. It should correspond to the road in front of their house. The hatch opened, and Honoka prepared herself.  
"Honoka Kousaka, launching!"  
By the time her family got to the underground room, all they saw was the giant robot launching out into the sky.  
Honoka flew the LAS towards the DES mechs. Despite a long time of not piloting, she was handling this well. Honoka pressed another button on the LAS's control console. She hoped the SOS signal she was sending would reach. Now she pressed another button. This one is not for any weapon, but it might as well be. After all, she was strongest when she was singing.  
In front of her a small holographic display showed a list of songs.

 _Beginner_

 _Pioneer_

 _Aitakatta_

Honoka scrolled past all those. She had made a few additions to this machine's playlist.  
She made her selection and started firing at the DES forces.

 _Doing things firmly_ _  
_ _The me today_ _  
_ _I'll throw my weak heart into the night sky_ _  
_ _Doing things firmly_ _  
_ _The me today won't flee, I can run into the darkness_

Honoka saw a total of four DES mechs. The other three were unmanned, just like the first one. Her move must be to lure these DES mechs into an area where they can't hurt people. Well she knew just the place. She opened fire on them to get their attention, and led them to a merry chase.  
"Come on, follow me!"

 _While regretting, we'll pass through this_ _  
_ _Don't quit, there's definitely a different path_

DES BATTLESHIP GUSION, OUTER SPACE

"Sir, a 00 LAS has engaged our forces!"  
"What!" Nakajima shouted. "How many?"  
"Just one, sir!"  
Nakajima frowned. _Had 00 followed them here?_ "Destroy it!"  
He opened communications to the ship's hangar. "There's a 00 LAS out there! Prepare the remaining LAS for sortie just in case. And ready _that_ one too…"

SKIES ABOVE AKIBA

Honoka has led them to a huge park. Right now it wasn't open yet so there weren't any people. There were still panicking people around the perimeter, so she had to be careful not to harm anyone. _Not the ideal battleground I was looking for, but this will have to do_ , Honoka thought.

 _The light I once wanted to see, the light that dwells within my chest_ _  
_ _I realise that now is that time_ _  
_ _While feeling a burning awakening_ _  
_ _Light is pouring down, the light that dwells within everyone_ _  
_ _Why don't we believe in our smiles and advance?_

Honoka turned her attention to the LAS chasing her. The first one fired upon her, which she expertly dodged. Before she could react, however, the first LAS suddenly dove down, revealing a 2nd one hiding behind it. This 2nd LAS fired at her. Honoka dodged again. The 2nd LAS did the same thing, diving down to reveal a 3rd mech. This time, however, Honoka was expecting it. She fired on the third LAS and then quickly turned her attention the form of the 2nd LAS. She fired upon it too. Her LAS' bullets weren't meant to kill, only to disable. The two LAS were now paralyzed and dropped to the ground. Their landing was a bit rough, and one of them almost got a citizen by an inch. Honoka cursed at herself for being a klutz, but continued fighting anyway.  
 _There are two more… where are they?_

Umi and Kotori saw the rest of Muse already at Honoka's house.  
"You all made it," Kotori said.  
"Guys, you have to check out what's beneath Honoka's house!" Nico said.  
"Seriously, it's like a science fiction movie!" Rin added.  
"But first…" Hanayo pointed to the battle raging in the distance.  
"Are those robots fighting?" Kotori asked. "Those dark green ones are fighting the light blue one!"  
"That light blue one... is my sister," Yukiho interrupted.  
"What!?" Umi said in disbelief. Not only Umi was shocked at the information, but also everyone. Who would have thought that one of them could own a mech, and ride it like it was child's play?  
"I know. It's hard to believe. We only found out about this ourselves today," Yukiho said. "But there is no denying that underneath our house my sister has somehow hidden a cache of weapons and a giant robot. Right now however she is fighting to protect us."  
"But it's not a fair fight!" Kotori said. "There's more of the enemy!"  
Umi was already walking towards Honoka's house.  
"Show me those weapons."

Honoka was exhausted. She was dodging fire from the two remaining DES LAS. She attempted to return fire but the two were just skilled. She needed some kind of distraction.  
"Honoka!"  
She heard a familiar voice over the comlink.  
"Umi-chan!?"  
Suddenly one of the DES LAS was shot by a rocket launcher. The damage was not much, but it was enough to make the mech turn away from Honoka. It turned to face this new attacker, but that was enough distraction for Honoka to make her move.

 _Still existing_ _  
_ _The me today_ _  
_ _Wants to become strong, so as to stand by you_ _  
_ _Still existing_ _  
_ _The me today can win, I can seize tomorrow_

Honoka kicked the distracted mech. While it was flailing around, Honoka grabbed hold of its hand and slammed it to its companion mech before firing at them both, paralyzing their mechs entirely. They crashed and were rendered unable to move.

Honoka landed her mech in the middle of the park.  
She saw the rest of Muse: Umi, Kotori, Maki, Hanayo, Rin, Nico, Nozomi, and Eli waiting for her, along with her parents and Yukiho. She also saw the family van right behind the group. She was about to exit the mech, but she saw not only her family and fellow members, but also the people surrounding the park as all of them looked at the triumphant robot.  
"Honoka, I think we deserve an explanation for this," Eli began.  
"That's right," Umi said, still holding the rocket launcher. "What is happening?"  
"Ehehehe…" Honoka said. "Well, it's a long story…"


	3. Chapter 3

Honoka hesitated.  
"Well, you see…"  
All the others were looking at her intently now.  
"I came from the future."  
To her statement, everyone gasped in shock. It should be inevitable to be taken aback by that statement.  
"Whaaat!?" Nico said in surprise. "Are you kidding me?"  
"Of course not, Nico-chan! Plus, you just saw me pilot a giant robot. Come on, it's pretty obvious!"  
Rin was thinking. "Then… are you from the future as well?" She looked at Honoka's family.  
Honoka's father shook his head vigorously, while Honoka's mother spoke. "No, no! I assure you we are not!" She looked at Honoka. "Please give us a proper explanation! None of this makes sense! You are not from the future! I remember giving birth to you, raising you. If you are from the future, how come I have all those memories?"  
Tear started rolling down Honoka's cheeks.  
"I'm sorry, everyone. Those memories… they were all fake."  
"I'm sorry, what?" Yukiho said. "Onee-chan, what nonsense—"  
Their talk was interrupted by the opening of another portal. Just from the dark forces coming out of the portal, Honoka sensed it.  
"More DES forces…"  
Honoka ran towards her LAS, closing the cockpit and taking off.  
She hit the playlist button again, chose a song, and started singing.

 _Please, don't anymore..._ _  
_ _Shutting yourself away all alone_ _  
_ _Will just make you sad, won't it?_ _  
_ _I want you to call out to me_

Honoka fired at the rushing DES machines. She expertly dodged the bullets fired at her before retaliating, bringing down two DES machines. Another DES LAS started chasing her, and Honoka was _forced to run._

 _Please, don't anymore, okay?_ _  
_ _You pretend you want to be alone_ _  
_ _Because you don't want to be hurt, isn't that right?_ __

 _"Please remember me," I murmured_ _  
_ _As the stars shined brightly through the night_

"I can't run forever!" Honoka dropped down, letting the LAS chasing her get ahead, then swooped right back up. Now she was looking at the LAS's back. She fired her gun, taking it out. She turned immediately and fired at another DES LAS that was closing upon her.  
There were more coming.  
"This seems to be their full force…" Honoka said to herself.

 _There'll be times you want to cry; We can be together then_ _  
_ _You may not be able to find any words, but as long as we're together, isn't that fine?_ __

 _Yes, I know what you mean..._ _  
_ _Whenever you bottle up your feelings,_ _  
_ _You end up torn up on the inside, don't you?_ _  
_ _Why not try talking about how you feel?_ __

 _Yes, you understand, don't you?_ _  
_ _If my heart had wings,_ _  
_ _I'd want to send to you an "I love you"_

"Is it over?" Honoka could keep fighting, but soon she'll run out of bullets.  
She laughed at the song of her choice. "Mou Hitori Ja Nai Yo." _You're no longer alone._  
But she always had been alone. Her entire life on this world was based on a lie.  
Finally her gun ran out.  
"Is this it?"  
Honoka got hit by a DES LAS. The right arm of her LAS took damage. Honoka tried flying away, but they were swarming her.  
"This must be it for me…" Honoka muttered as tears streamed from her face. A small, sad smile could be seen from her, as she muttered her last words.  
 _Goodbye…_  
The last thing she remembered was seeing another portal, a bright light, then nothing.

AKB0048 SHIP KATYUSHA-SICK BAY

"Don't worry, she'll be fine…"  
Honoka was slowly waking up. She groaned as she felt pain on her head. She felt that it was bandaged around, so she guessed she was injured. Her left arm was covered by more than just a blanket, so it seemed that arm was bandaged, too. Otherwise, she was alive and fine.  
 _Where am I? That voice sounds familiar…_  
As she opened her eyes she realized who it was.  
"Ayako?"  
The girl she saw first was wearing a white doctor's coat. "Oh, Honoka, you're awake. We've been waiting for you to come to."  
Honoka blinked at Ayako's statement then turned her head and saw her friends, the members of Muse, gathered around the small room. Her parents and sister were there too.  
"You're on the sick bay of the _Katyusha._ Your friends have been with you since we rescued you."  
"Rescued… then—"  
"I guess your friends could tell you more about that."  
The other people in the room had started to notice that Honoka is already awake.  
Ayako smiled at her. "You have good friends. I'll leave you now. Also, one more thing. I go by Yuki Kawshiwagi the 6th now."  
"Yuki Kashiwagi… you've inherited the name of Yukirin!?"  
"Later, Honoka. For now, you have to talk to your friends."  
As Yukirin left, Umi rushed to her bed. She stood right beside Honoka's bed and looked at her friend with deadly serious eyes.  
"Care to explain what you said earlier?" she said. Honoka could feel her friend's intense stare at her.  
"Well… have you been briefed about AKB0048?"  
"Yes," Kotori answered. "Tsubasa-san and Takamina-san came here earlier and explained it to us. They came from a future where entertainment is banned, and they fight using guerilla concerts."  
Nico shuddered at that. "Imagine that! Entertainment banned! No more people getting their daily dose of my Nico Nii!" Of course, nobody even cared to look at Nico, and the latter fumed at this.  
"So, what does this have to do with you?" Nozomi asked Honoka.  
"You see… I was a member here. Before. Formerly, I was known as Yuko Oshima the 6th."  
"So, what happened to you?" Maki asked. "How did you get to our time?"  
"I became the brightest among my generation," Honoka replied. "I was named as the Center Nova."  
"They told us about that too!" Hanayo said. "They've told us that whenever a Center Nova achieves a certain condition, they disappear. Apparently they go to an alternate dimension where they could perform forever, safe and sound from DES."  
"It's true," Honoka confirmed Hanayo's statement. "But for me, it was different. I was sent to that alternate dimension, yes. But I was told that my place wasn't there. I was sent back to the past. I found myself in the home of the Kousakas; somehow they had memories of me being their daughter. It was the same for the two of you," Honoka said to Umi and Kotori. "You gained memories of me."  
She continued her story.  
"My LAS mech and weapons were somehow transported back in time with me. I hid them under the house to avoid any suspicion that someone had indeed come from the future." She paused. "And… that is why my life is a lie. Almost everything is fake. I… I'm sorry for deceiving you all."  
"When were you transported back?" Umi asked.  
"About our first year of high school," Honoka replied. "During that time, my love for Otonokizaka grew, and I was genuinely worried about it closing. I had fun doing idol activities with you all. But…"  
Umi slapped Honoka hard.  
"Don't give us your excuses!" Umi shouted. She held Honoka's shoulders and clutched on them like a vice. "No matter what, to me you're still my friend. You're the one who pushed me… pushed all of us… to greater heights, even to places we've never had the courage to approach! You may come from the future, the past, or from outer space for all I care! To me you're still Honoka Kousaka, my friend, the one who is always clumsy, loves bread, lazy, but can persevere when she puts her mind to it. So I'm telling you… you're not alone. We're here with you."  
"Umi-chan…"  
Kotori joined in. "It's true, Honoka-chan. I still consider you a friend."  
"That's right! You're the one who gave more excitement to me and Kayo-chin's lives!" Rin said.  
"That's right. You helped me break out of my shell," Hanayo said.  
"Well... I can say that I was indeed happy that I met you," Maki said, twirling her hair.  
"The great Nico-Nii acknowledges you to be her friend! Consider it an honor," Nico said.  
"You reached out to me when I thought no one would," Eli said.  
"You're still our leader, and we wouldn't dare leave your side," Nozomi added.  
"Everyone…" Honoka was on the verge of tears.  
Honoka's mother stepped up.  
"Mom…"  
She approached Honoka and hugged her. "You're still my daughter," she said. "Yukiho is still your sister, your father is still your father. We'll never leave you."  
Honoka didn't say anything, speechless.  
Truly, now she wasn't alone.

DES BATTLESHIP GUSION-HANGAR  
The mechanic, a man named Yamagi, looked up at the strangest mech he's ever seen. It was discovered when DES was patrolling an area of space known as the Shoal Zone, an place full of asteroids and debris.  
With heavy armor and standing taller than any LAS, it seemed like a force to reckon with. It was also where this ship got its name.  
"I think it's time to bring this out."  
"Captain!" Yamagi saluted. "Sir, what about a pilot? Will Lieutenant Kanzaki-"  
"No, we have a volunteer." Nakajima called out. "Bring her out, boys!"  
Held at gunpoint was A-Rise's leader, Tsubasa Kira. "What do you want from me? Where are my friends?" She shouted while looking at everybody with seemingly fearless eyes.  
 _This girl… I'll watch her break pretty soon_ , Nakajima cursed, unbeknownst to his crew.  
"Oh, don't worry, little girl," the captain replied. "They'll be safe… as long as you do me a little favor..."

AKB0048 SHIP KATYUSHA-SICK BAY

"By the way, guys…" Honoka started. "Back then, I was about to get swarmed by DES mechs. How did I survive?"  
"Ah, that time…" Eli said as she backtracked her memory to _that time_. "Another shiny thing –a portal, if I can guess—appeared, and then beams started shooting at the mechs."  
"Come on, Elicchi. You gotta be complete with the details after the whole thing has happened," Nozomi reprimanded. "Anyways, it was Katyusha which was shooting at the mechs. After that, colored mechs came out from the ship's hangar, and they participated in the battle. But in the end, you still crashed, so here you are, injured."  
"But luckily, nothing else touched you, so I'm guessing it's a minor injury," Hanayo continued. "And then, music bursted out from the mechs, so it seemed that their mechs were the same as yours. The music was dead awesome, you know!"  
"… Gotta admit it myself, it was indeed great," Maki said. "They sang while operating the robots as professionally as you did, and then many of the enemy mechs were suddenly destroyed."  
"Lastly, the members took you away along with your mech and here we are," Umi finished.  
"… Yeah, thanks for telling me," Honoka turned away as she forced herself not to laugh at each of her friends' faces. She looked again and saw each of them still in their uniforms. Her expression changed drastically, from happiness to straight out fear. "H-Hey, seeing we're all still in our school uniforms, that means we had school today, right?"  
"Yeah, what about it?" Eli confirmed, then asked right after.  
"Could it be that you're worried about school?" Umi asked to confirm. "Giant robots attacked, us, and you're affected by not going to school? Just what—"  
"N-No, it's nothing like that!" Honoka denied. "U-Umi-chan, we have a Math quiz scheduled today, don't we? D-Damn, I'm dead if I don't get that quiz!"  
"I-I see…" Umi muttered, and her eyes started to burn. "How about we take a remedial? And this time we'll make sure you pass. Getting a perfect score is must, though." Umi beat her fists together as she smiled devilishly as the thought.  
"Oh no! Stop her!" Rin panicked as she pleaded the others. Unfortunately for her, there was no one who could stop an academically passionate Umi.  
Even Honoka knew what would happen. "U-Umi-chan in her demon coach mode! Nooooooo!" So she shouted, but nobody was there to hear her plea.


	4. Chapter 4

DES BATTLESHIP GUSION, MECHANICAL LABORATORY

In a room overlooking the hangar, scientists were busy monitoring and adjusting the data on their screens. The lead scientist, a tall, eye-glassed man named Shimada, looked at this clipboard.  
"I assume everything is fine, doctor?"  
Shimada saw a young female approach her. "Yes, ma'am. Our test subject is now hooked to the giant LAS we codenamed 'Gusion II'."  
The woman retreated into the back of the room to watch the test.  
Shimada then gave out commands. All preparations have been done, and the test subject was then brought in an empty room, but only as an energy source, as she was not so capable in operating the mech. A separate pilot was there to receive manual commands while the mech was running through the subject's performance.  
"Begin the test."  
They could hear the subject's scream as she was forcibly hooked into the system. It was based on a captured 00 LAS, only modified by DES scientists to be more formidable.  
"Connection successful," one of the scientists reported.  
Shimada talked out loud. "Tsubasa, honey. It's time to sing."

Ryuko Kanzaki looked onto the test with interest. At first she had argued against using someone else for this-she discovered the LAS, damnit, and she's pretty sure she deserved to be the first one to pilot it.  
But Nakajima had pointed out that it's risky. She still remembered their recent conversation:

" _Captain, the LAS Gusion II is ready! Let me be the one to pilot it!"  
"Not yet!" Nakajima replied. Ryuko had went up to the bridge when Nakajima had authorized the use of the LAS. The presence of a 00 LAS made the captain nervous and now he wants to bring in their best weapon.  
"But why? I'm the one best suited to pilot it! I can handle it."  
"We can't risk you yet. Even our best engineers aren't sure if they were able to fix it up properly."  
"But…"  
"That's enough, Ryuko. Don't worry, you'll have your turn. But we need someone disposable to try it out on first."_

The test subject, Tsubasa Kira, started singing.

 _Dancing, Dancing, non-stop my dancing…_

Ryuko listened to the song. It was a fast, danceable tune. Energetic and happy, supposedly. However, while the music was still the same, the way the test subject sang it was haunting. Tortured.

The Gusion's eyes lit up in response to Tsubasa's singing. Waking the mech up was inclined with an idol's performance, after all. "Kirara signals", so they called it.  
Shimada held his breath. "Try moving an arm."  
The pilot followed the command and moved a series of levers. After the succession, the robot's left arm moved.  
"Open and close the wrists?"  
The huge mecha did as told.  
"Alright, proceeding to phase two. Testing mobility in combat."  
The Gusion was moved to the ship's catapult.  
"Launch the LAS Gusion II."  
The Gusion II was now in space.  
"Unleash the unmanned LAS!"  
Several unmanned LAS were launched and started attacking it.  
The Gusion II responded by attacking and destroying those LAS.  
Ryuko smiled. _If all goes well, I myself will take to the battlefield soon…_

The Guison II was doing well. It fought off the unmanned mechs in a graceful way. The defense this mech offered was almost impregnable. The pilot must have had some experience with operating a mech himself. The way he evaded and counterattacked the mechs in front of him was that of a professional. However…  
 _This guy has rusty movements. And these robots weren't even set to kill him, so he'll probably lose in a real battle_ , Ryuko had these thoughts as she watched the robot's performance in space. She stared at the mech intently as she imagined herself inside the cockpit of the robot and operating it more professionally than the guy currently inside.  
"The mech is malfunctioning! We're losing contact with the pilot inside! Bring it back right now!" one of the scientists reported. They could observe that robot was still moving well, but this time it was more of a bloodlust. The mech literally obliterated its opponents and minced them to nothingness.  
The whole team responded and tried to turn off the source of power, but all of their actions were in vain.  
"It's her! The test subject!" a member pointed. They had not noticed the change in Tsubasa's singing voice. At first, it was observed that her voice was indeed haunting and creepy, but her change in expression was so drastic; it went creepier and creepier as the song progressed. Her voice became heavy, which was probably why the robot lost control.  
Everyone right then tried to stop Tsubasa from singing, but no one was able to calm the singer down. Nakajima himself went inside the room and approached the subject.  
"Captain, you can't go inside! The test subject's emotional levels have achieved the highest stages! She can kill you at any moment!" one of the scientists tried to stop the captain. But the captain ignored the staff, took off his right glove and slapped Tsubasa hard across the face. The idol fell from where she was chained to, and fell unconscious.  
Along with this, the mech stopped moving. Several mechs were brought out to retrieve the Guison and bring it back to the hangar.  
"Oh, dear. Captain Nakajima must have taught Tsubasa her lesson," Shimada muttered as he fixed his glasses. "Means this first test was a fail."  
"No, it isn't," Nakajima denied as he exited the room Tsubasa was in. "Bring the test subject back to her cell. Make sure to feed her. I'm sure she's lost her spirit for today." He then faced Shimada. "This test has given us more intel on Kirara signals. The performance of an LAS depends wholly on how passionately the energy source would sing. This right here is the performance of an idol ready to kill."  
"… I see. You're as clever as always, Captain," Shimada confirmed and input the detail on a tablet nearest to him.  
"Though it might need modifications on its sensitivity to emotion," Nakajima added. "We can't have a powerful but insane mech with us on the path to war. Otherwise, this test has been a new lesson to all of us." He then wore his loves again and exited the lab.  
Nakajima then turned to Ryuko as Shimada started giving out commands back inside. "You see, Ryuko," Nakajima started, "This is why I'm not yet bringing you out to battle. The risks a single LAS could kill you. So at least be patient. Guide the others to Tsubasa's cell."  
"… Yes, Nakajima-sama," Ryuko muttered and bowed before the Captain before finally heading out to the cells. As she walked away, she could observe the pilot of the Guison II coming down from the cockpit. His mates were there to comfort him from an apparent panic attack. Ryuko then moved forward to the cells with an expectant smile on her face. She picked up her sword and prepared for something "fun".

Inside the cell rooms were A-RISE themselves: Toudou Erena, Yuuki Anju, and Kira Tsubasa altogether, just in separate cells. The recent test subject, Tsubasa, was holding out a hand to Erena, whose cell was just beside her. Anju was just holding on tight to the bars of her cell as she listened to Tsubasa's story.  
They didn't notice Ryuko coming in, so the latter took advantage of the situation and hit the bars as hard as she could. "TRASH!" she called out to the three. A-RISE was taken by surprise as they heard the clanging of the bars. Tsubasa crawled back to the edge of her cell, while Anju and Erena jumped.  
But the most remarkable feature of this surprise was their faces. They looked pretty much hilarious in the eyes of Ryuko, so to this, the woman laughed.  
"This is so much fun! I never once thought that I would be seeing faces like this the moment I step in to this department! Those faces of despair, desperate for freedom! Broken faces, void of all hope! You girls are amusing!" She laughed again as she turned away from the girls. Anju and Erena hid their faces in shame. Tsubasa was silent, but eyes had killing intent.  
"Oh?" Ryuko definitely felt it. Tsubasa was still fighting. She turned to the latter and pointed the pointed metal sword at her. "You? The test subject who sang horribly during the session? You are no match against me! One day, I'll stand at the top of this chain, and I'll make you all regret you even chose the path of idols!" She had this sinister smile on her face as she looked at Tsubasa provocatively. "I guess my time is done. Gotta go!" She then left the cell rooms, the three members of A-RISE.

DES BATTLESHIP GUISON, CAPTAIN'S ROOM

Nakajima was looking over some of the data they received from the test earlier. He had confirmed the extent of the Guison II. Its defense, offense, mobility, maneuver, ease of control, all of it. But no matter how hard he thought it, the thing he said back then was a shallow analyzation of how the mech lost control. Certainly it wasn't Tsubasa's voice. The Kirara signals won't get affected easily just by the change in tone. Or maybe it was true, and his wild guess was indeed correct.  
Nakajima was confused.  
He scratched his head. "Argh, what's up with the robot?!" He then slammed the tablet he was holding on the side of his bed. He then lied down and recalled what he saw earlier.  
The Guison II performed extraordinarily well. It dodged, counterattacked, defended and handled all of what fifteen unmanned mechs could do. But then, it lost control of itself that even the pilot wasn't able to control it, despite being an experienced one. Was it in the mech itself? The singer? The kirara?  
 _We'd need to undergo another test. At least two or three more. To confirm my theory._  
He stood up and prepared himself.  
 _One step. One step closer to obliterating AKB. And then I'd have retrieved what was taken from me._


	5. Chapter 5

AKB0048 BATTLESHIP KATYUSHA

While Umi was busy… coaching Honoka, Rin decided to wander around the ship. Honoka's family was dropped off, and they promised to go to their families and assure them of their safety. Her friends were mostly in the ship's canteen, relaxed now that Honoka is fine. Now that's just not fun, is it? So Rin started walking around the ship, looking outside the windows.  
"Wow, Akiba looks really pretty from up here!" she said out loud.  
"I know, right!"  
Rin saw who answered her; a small girl with long yellow hair.  
"Hi! I'm Sonata. Nice to meet you," the girl introduced.  
"I'm Rin!" the latter replied.  
"You must be one of the new guys Tsubasa-san was talking about!" Sonata guessed. "So, tell me. In this time, entertainment really isn't banned?"  
"Of course not!" Rin said, appalled that such a concept even exists. "Here we can sing songs, watch movies, and play games any time we like. Here, let me show you!"  
Rin brought out her cellphone and played a video of a girl with brown hair, wearing ribbons on both sides of her head, singing during a live.  
"Wow, there's so many people! And DES isn't around to ruin their day."  
"DES really is that bad, huh?"  
"Yeah! They attack anyone that's pro entertainment. My father… he was killed in battle with DES."  
"That's horrible!"  
Sonata looked at her with a determined look. "We think DES is planning bad stuff to this time, so we can't let the same thing happen."  
"Of course we won't," Rin replied. "I... don't know what I can do, but I'll definitely try to help."  
"Sonata, there you are!"  
Both girls saw a red-haired girl running towards them.  
"Ah, Onee-chan!"  
The redhead gave Sonata a wave. She then saw Rin, and said her greetings right after. "Yo. I'm Kanata Shinonome, Sonata's older sister."  
"I'm Rin Hoshizora, nice to meet you!"  
"Your friends are in the canteen. Why not join them?" Kanata asked.  
"Nah, I already know that. But staying there's no fun! I'm standing in a futuristic ship! Who'd want to sit in one place alone when she knows it's her once in a lifetime chance to get to see a ship like this?! Now's the time to explore!"  
Kanata laughed. "Oh, of course. Fine. See you around then, and be careful. Come Sonata, there will be a mission briefing."  
"Alright! Bye, Rin!" Sonata said, waving energetically.  
Rin replied by waving back at Sonata.  
Rin was thinking about her talk with Sonata as she walked the rest of the ship. _So this DES really is that bad…_ she can't believe that there are people who'd hate entertainment. It lifts her spirits up! It helps her in her life! Surely something like that can't be all bad.  
As she was thinking she saw a familiar hairstyle just in a far corridor.  
 _Is Honoka-chan done already?  
_ As she was about to wave, however, the person turned and Rin got a better look, and she saw it was not Honoka at all, but someone else.  
 _Strange. Someone here has Honoka-chan's hairstyle?  
_ She turned around quite awkwardly and decided to head to the canteen to see how her friends were doing.

Rin entered the canteen, and a heated conversation was going on between the other members.  
"So, Elicchi… that was quit the reveal, huh?" Nozomi said.  
"You're right, Nozomi. I was surprised that Honoka was actually from the future," Eli replied.  
"So, what's going to happen to us now?" Maki asked. "With DES now in our time, we really can't escape this conflict. We're in this now."  
Their discussion, however, was interrupted by girls muttering outside of the cafeteria.  
Meanwhile, a pink-haired girl stood outside the cafeteria, carrying a tray with glasses of juice. She hesitated by the door.  
"Come on, Acchan! Just give it to them!" a blonde girl ushered the pink-haired girl forward.  
"But Yuka!"  
"Aww come on, why so shy? Damn, I'd push you but that'd spill all that juice."  
The seven members stopped their discussion, and Eli got up and approached the door. She saw the two girls just standing outside the room.  
"Don't be shy, come in," she said.  
The two girls entered the room, with the yellow-haired girl, Yuka, giving Acchan one of those " _I told you so"_ looks.  
Acchan set the juice on the table.  
"Here, some juice. The least I can do. I'm sorry that all of you ended up being dragged in all this," Acchan apologized ahead of the others.  
"Don't sweat it," Nico said, taking a glass. "Honoka's our friend, if she's in trouble we'll back her up no problem."  
"I'm Na—" The pink haired girl cleared her throat to repeat her introduction. "I'm Maeda Atsuko the 14th, by the way," the pink-haired girl said. "You can call me Acchan. Everybody started calling me that way, so I'm predicting you all will be calling me that sooner or later…" Embarrassed by the remarks, she then giggled a bit.  
"And I'm Ichijou Yuka," the blonde girl introduced right after.  
"Acchan, Yuka. Nice to meet you!" Kotori said.  
"Yeah! Nice to meet you, guys!" Rin added.  
"So, can you tell us more about what AKB0048 does?" Maki asked.  
"We do guerilla lives," Acchan answered. "You see, there are planets under the entertainment ban and our aim is to have entertainment reach them."  
"Wonder how that's like," Hanayo said.  
"Oh, we're planning one right now!" Acchan said.  
"That's right, we're using it to bait DES and finish them," Yuka added. "You guys can watch from here in the ship."  
A megaphone from the corner of the room made a sound which rang out across the room. Acchan and Yuka took this as an alarm.  
"Seems like it's show time," Yuka beat a fist. "We're heading out." Yuka then ran out of the canteen.  
"Yeah," Acchan agreed and bowed before the seven girls. "Hope we can get to talk with you a little bit longer. See you!" She then followed Yuka out of the room, leaving the girls a bit anxious and excited as they expected a heated battle.

"Members! To your positions!" Katagiri Tsubasa gave out commands, and the rest followed. The members standing onstage were pretty much nervous, as they were chosen to become the opening scene of this concert, and not the successors.  
"I-I'm getting nervous about this one," Aida Orine muttered to her fellow understudies.  
"Don't worry about it," Kanata assured. "All we have to do right now is perform our very best, and we leave the rest to your seniors."  
"Yeah!" Sonata agreed.  
"Everyone! Prepare! We're starting in three! Two! One!" Katagiri counted off, and the rest followed with their opening line.  
"AKB0048!"

With this announcement, people started cheering. It was their first time seeing such technology before them. Projections appeared in mid-air, and built train railings. Lights then came off of Katyusha, and the train whistle blew off as the song started playing.

 _The sunlight awaits at the windy station  
The clouds cut a path in the sky  
I glance briefly at my watch  
And gently heave a sigh_

Everything was going smoothly. The lights were absolutely beautiful, the girls were just stunning, and the performance was out of this world. The people were enjoying the song, and nothing was there to interrupt their fun just yet.

 _Will you stop me and tell me not to go?  
Can I leave my love behind?_

 _The rainbow train is about to depart  
Right on schedule, towards our dreams  
I want to set off with you by my side  
We'll take on anything_

The song rung throughout Akihabara as the group continued to the second verse.

DES BATTLESHIP GUSION, HANGAR

"This baby's good to go!" one of the crew shouted, tapping the mecha's right leg. "Captain, Gusion II is ready for deployment!"  
"Good, good," Nakajima muttered. "Ready the power source!"  
"It's already right there, Captain," Shimada assured. "Hooked and ready to sing."  
"That's a check on the power source. The pilot?"  
"Here I am," Ryuko announced.  
"There you are, Ryuko," Nakajima said as he turned to the girl. "Ready for your first ride, I see. The controls aren't that hard to do, so you should be able to do it smoothly."  
"I know, Nakajima-sama," Ryuko replied. "I've been waiting for this very moment, after all!"  
"There's a good girl," Nakajima praised and pat Ryuko's shoulder. "Mount the Gusion II now. We're about to deploy you in a couple minutes. We're gonna give AKB their fun, and then…  
We'll have ours."

SKIES ABOVE AKIBA

At first, it should have been normal for DES to come in late, but they have not been detecting any signals of DES at all during the whole song.  
"Do they not know about this concert?" Yuuko asked. She has also been suspicious about the late coming of their enemy. "It's already been one song!"  
"Ma-Manager," Takamina called through a comlink. "Tell the other understudies to start another song."  
"Yeah," Katagiri followed, and brought out another song for the understudies to perform.  
"Another song, huh…" Chieri whispered. "I can tell something big is ahead of us…"  
Almost by coincidence, after Chieri mouthed the words, an explosion came from behind the Katyusha.  
"W-What?!" Katagiri shouted, fully alarmed by the damage this explosion has done. "Right before our next song?!" And how in the world did it get past our radars?!"  
"Captain, this mech has concealed its presence," one of the operators informed. "This DES mech… is dangerous."  
"What?!" Katagiri shouted, but never got another answer as the ship started shaking. "Status report!"  
"Our propellers and engine have received heavy damage," another operator announced. "Activating backup."  
Despite being safe from crashing, they could not avoid the fact that someone had gotten past security. As soon as the people head the explosions, they started panicking.  
"There's an enemy!" Yuuko finally found her opponent. From the front, she turned behind her and pointed a gun, but was horrified by the figure this mech imposed.  
It loomed over them like a giant.  
Of course, under Takamina's command, all the successors started shooting at the robot. Yes, DES has unleashed a single mech to attack AKB. But it was heavily armored, so their bullets didn't hinder the mech at all. As mockery, the mech even moved a slow pace, as if imitating a typical villain. The defense was maddening.  
"Ah, let's finish this," the pilot said, and brought out a hammer. The mech then started engaging the group.  
"What is that thing? It's huge!"  
"My bullets aren't working!"  
"Watch out for its hammer!"  
"Retreat, retreat!" Takamina's voice sounds panicked.  
"Give me a visual of the enemy!" Tsubasa said. The screen on the bridge immediately displayed a huge, green robot. "What the…"  
From inside the ship, Muse was watching from different rooms as the robot finally engaged in combat.  
"It's bigger than any LAS I've seen!" Honoka said. Umi looked at the mech in fear.  
From the visual Takamina was giving, the other members were shaking.  
"This doesn't bode well…" Nozomi muttered.  
What happened next silenced them all.

 _Dancing, dancing, non-stop my dancing…_

The members of Muse froze.  
"That… that song…" Umi stuttered.  
"No, it can't be!" Hanayo shouted. "It's impossible!"  
"But… it's hers. It can't be denied," Eli contrasted.  
"It… It's Kira Tsubasa's voice…" Honoka said. But this voice was not the one she loved, the one that was full of love for music. This voice seemed tortured, asking for help.  
"They've done it… my god, they've done it." This was the voice of one of the crew, a man.  
The robot moved fast as it swung its hammer. The successors cleared away in response.  
It switched tactics, storing the hammer in its back and firing its gun instead.  
Due to the gun's rapid fire, it hit an LAS.  
"Kojiharu!" Tsubasa shouted.  
"I can't eject! It's broken!" Kojiharu shouted, as fear can be heard from her voice.  
"Mayuyu, Sayaka, Kojiharu has been hit. Help her and get her away from here, right now!"  
All this while Honoka heard what was the most haunting rendition of _Shocking Party._

By far, none of the mechs got near the Gusion II. It was incredibly tough; so tough that even melee attacks would not work at all. They did not even get to sratch a bit of its armor.  
Takamina looked around her to find a place to drive the fighting away from Akiba.  
She was out of ideas. Fighting the mech was a hopeless case. Issuing a retreat might save them, but the Katyusha would get damaged in return. They could not risk those inside. Moving the mech away from the site would be good, but where?  
Right then, the mech started moving weirdly. None of its attacks seemed to land, unlike the first minutes they saw it.  
While Takamina started panicking, something out of her expectations happened.  
"The robot is retreating!" one of the citizens shouted. All the other people heard him and pointed at the mecha, which was indeed turning its back on the group and flying away.  
"While we have the chance, let's pursue the mech!" Yuuko ordered.  
"No. Leave it. Return to the ship," Katagiri ordered her own command. "We'll be having a strategy meeting."  
"… Sure," Yuuko hung her head and glided to the ship.  
The others followed her inside. Mayuyu and Sayaka got Kojiharu out of her mech and carried her inside. She was heavily injured, but her injuries were not fatal. She was then handed over to Yukirin for further treatment.  
"Aaah, it's our total defeat," Sae said as she walked inside the ship.  
"… Yeah. I have to agree," Sayaka replied. "Even Takamina almost panicked."  
"But let's not lose hope. There must be a way to defeat it," Takamina said, determined to win the battle next time.

AKB0048 BATTLESHIP KATYUSHA, HOSPITAL ROOM

"… That was clearly Tsubasa-san's voice," Honoka told Umi.  
"You're right," Umi didn't have a choice but to agree. Both of them looked scared. Something that powerful attacking them while Shocking Party was playing?  
"That means…" Honoka came to a thought. "Tsubasa-san's being held captive by DES?!"  
"That can't possibly be…" Umi tried to find a flaw, but also realized the same thing.  
"Umi-chan, take me to the meeting room!" Honoka urged.  
"U-Understood!"


	6. Chapter 6

DES SHIP GUSION

"What the hell was that?" Ryuko muttered to herself as mechanics helped her get out of the cockpit.  
Nakajima was waiting for her.  
"Great performance out there," the captain greeted.  
"Nakajima-sama!" Ryuko greeted back. "I apologize, something must be wrong with the system."  
"I've consulted our techs about that. Apparently the link between our power source and the Gusion II isn't very stable. It'll be much better if the power source is the pilot, but…"  
"Then let me! You know I can do it—" Determination filled Ryuko's eyes.  
"We haven't tried out the effects of that. The reason why we have the singer, the power source, separate from the pilot is because if the pilot is also the singer, she may not be able to handle the feedback from the LAS' frame," Nakajima cut her off.  
When it was recovered, it was discovered that the Gusion II had a special inner frame, giving it much more power than a regular LAS. When DES scientists hooked up the song system to the frame though, the feedback killed the pilot during the initial testing.  
"I don't want that to happen to you."  
"But—" Ryuko tried to protest, but was stopped short.  
"We cannot risk you. I have people working on this thing; don't worry, the next time you sortie it should operate fine," Nakajima objected.  
Nakajima was very protective to her, much like a father to his daughter. Ryuko never understood why.  
"... Understood, Nakajima-sama," Ryuko said and bowed to the captain before leaving the hangar.  
Well damn. Despite Nakajima's words she's still stressed. And, well, there's only one place where she can take that out…

Meanwhile, Nakajima hid back his stern face, and then brought up another thought. The actual fight was a second experiment to test the cause of Gusion II's malfunction. This time, he checked up on everything. The singer, the pilot, as well as the mech itself.

 _It's the pilot and the power source. There's no mistaking it. I'm certain the conflict between pilot and the singer can bring about conflict within the Gusion II. Indeed, we only need one person._

AKB0048 SHIP KATYUSHA-BRIEFING ROOM

Tsubasa Katagiri waited for everyone to settle down.  
"Everyone! Let the briefing begin." She turned on the monitor, which projected an image of the huge robot they fought earlier.  
"So as we all know, DES has deployed this previously unseen LAS. Thankfully we are not complete in the dark about this."  
A man went to the front. Honoka recognized him as the crew member on the bridge who reacted after seeing that giant mech. Honoka noticed one of the understudies, Makoto Yokomizo, waving at him.  
The man did a small wave back, before focusing on talking.  
"This is Higashino. As you know, he defected from DES some time ago. He can tell us about the giant LAS."  
Higashino nodded. "You see, back when I saw in DES, I heard rumors. I saw nothing concrete, as I wasn't high ranked, but word gets out. DES has discovered something big."  
Tsubasa took over. "I guess it's time for a little history lesson. You all know that in our time, Earth became a wasteland after a long, pointless war. But did you know what stopped the war?"  
The display on the screen shifted, showing a mechanical skeletal frame.  
"This is the Gundam Frame. 72 frames were produced, and each were powerful enough, forcing the war to end."  
Higashino nodded. "Word is, DES has gotten its hands on one and is working on it. After seeing today, I know it's true."  
"What about A-Rise then? What about Tsubasa Kira?" Honoka could not stop herself from asking. She stood up to get the attention of Higashino.  
"We have investigated that. Around the time of the initial DES attack, the school idol group A-Rise was abducted by a group of heavily armed men," Tsubasa replied.  
"Is she inside that robot or not?" Honoka asked, slammed her hand on the table and stood up. "Where is Tsubasa?!"  
"Honoka, calm down." Umi tried to get her friend to sit down.  
HIgashino seemed scared by the sudden outburst.  
"We have no idea," Tsubasa said. "Which is why we are all here. To plan a rescue operation…"

SKIES ABOVE AKIBA

Night had fallen. However, the skies of Akiba are not as brightly lit as it was the days before. Thanks to the attacks by DES power to the city is shaky at best.  
Which is why the skies seem so brightly lit when AKB0048 has deployed once again.  
Tsubasa Katagiri stood on the Katyusha's bridge. "NO NAME, launch!"  
The plan was once similar to the earlier one. The understudies would perform, while the more experienced successors would pilot LAS.  
"Alright. This time we're ready for you," Yuka said.  
"Aww man, I hope we succeed this time!" Makoto said.  
"Always so negative…" Suzuko replied.  
"It's time guys! Let's get out there and sing!' Kanata encouraged.

NO NAME started singing once they launched outside the ship. Each of them were riding a small floating platform, allowing them to perform up in the air and to do some interesting choreography.

 _Chasing after the bus as it started to leave  
I wanted  
To tell you  
The fog has lifted from my heart  
And I've seen what's important to me_

DES BATTLESHIP GUSION

"Captain! AKB has started another live!"  
Nakajima shook his head. Those fools never learn. Fine. He contacted the scientists in charge of the system. Their faces were displayed on the screen in the front of the bridge. "Ready our test subject."  
He also contacted Ryuko. "Prepare to launch once again. This time we finish this for good."

SKIES ABOVE AKIBA

 _The answer  
Is so simple  
So why did I hesitate and let you go?  
I'll be honest about my impulses  
So I can be me_

Takamina fingered the handles on her LAS. She was nervous.  
"Did you really think it was okay for them to do this?" she asked.  
"Don't worry about them," Yuko said. "I'm sure they'll do fine. Plus, Mayuyu and Sayaka are with them."  
A portal opened up. DES LAS started pouring out.  
"Here they are!" Tomochin said.  
"Sink or swim guys," Sae added.  
"AKB0048, attack!" Takamina ordered.  
The two forces clashed in the air above.

As a successor, Acchan was assigned to an LAS instead of performing. She was exchanging shots with a DES LAS, but she was having hard time. Then a bullet grazed her LAS's arm.  
Thankfully said DES LAS was taken down by another LAS.  
"Mariko-san!" Mimori Kishida, now known as Mariko Shinoda the 8th, was, like Acchan, another NO NAME member who had become a successor, although Mariko succeeded earlier than her.  
"Acchan, what happened? That wasn't like you."  
"Sorry, I had a hard time concentrating," Acchan answered in her usual softspoken voice.  
Mariko smiled. "Go on, join them. I'll cover for you."  
"But the plan—"  
"Now, now. Do you want you want, okay? I'll help you explain later."  
"Thanks, Mariko-san!"  
The cockpit of Acchan's LAS detached. The cockpit could serve as an escape pod, and it could also transform into a floating platform, allowing her to join her friends.  
"Chieri!"  
"Acchan!" The blue-haired girl, the new Center Nova, was surprised. "What are you doing here?"  
"I can't let you shine on your own," Acchan replied. "Mariko-san said she'd cover for me."  
Kanata had to shake her head. "Ah, Mariko. You never change…"  
"As expected of my rival," Chieri said, smiling at her friend. "Fine, let's sing together!"

 _Love you, I love you  
I run as fast as I can  
Love you, I've always loved you  
I'll yell at the top of my lungs_

 _Love you, I love you  
I'm running out of breath  
I can't keep my loud-voiced diamond  
Locked away_

Another portal opened, and a familiar form appeared on the battlefield.  
"Here she is!" Makoto said.  
"Do not panic!" Kanata said. She watched as the DES LAS pulled back, allowing the huge DES robot in the center.  
Takamina saw the same thing. "Tell Honoka she's clear to launch."

OUTER SPACE, OUTSIDE DES SPACESHIP

A small portal opened a short distance away from the DES battleship. A small shuttle appeared.  
"Hey, we made it!" Sayaka said.  
"What do you mean, we made it?!" Nico said. "You mean there was a chance that we won't?"  
Mayuyu gave Nico an emotionless stare. "We made it, that's what's important."  
"What's next?" Umi asked.  
Sayaka consulted the plan given to her by Tsubasa. "We go inside."  
Since Higashino was a former DES officer, he was able to give them a reasonable map to how the enemy ship is supposed to be laid out. Outside the ship there is a small hatch used by mechanics and the like.  
They were supposed to go in there. Because of the mission, only a small strike team was deployed. Sayaka and Mayuyu, plus Umi and Nico. Umi's physical fitness could come in handy, and Nico was bought in because of her small size, a fact she not too happy about.  
"Mission is a go. We're going in," Mayuyu reported through a comlink, and received an "Okay" signal from the staff before they cut the radio signal.  
The team entered the hatch and were now in the DES ship.  
"Let's hope we find them before it's too late."

SKIES ABOVE AKIBA

Ryuko looked at the battlefield. Time to take out those 00 fools. She'll show them…  
She took out her rifle from behind the Gusion II. She aimed her small rifle and fired.  
It was hit by a large bullet, causing her to drop it.  
"What the hell! Who did that?"  
She saw where the shot came from and her jaw dropped.  
"Another Gundam Frame? Where did that come from!?"

DES BATTLESHIP GUSION

"Captain, it's the Barbatos!"  
Nakajima gritted its teeth. The Barbatos was the ship that went missing. Like this ship, it was also carrying a Gundam Frame. So that's' where it went…  
"I want that LAS. Capture it!"

SKIES ABOVE AKIBA

Honoka Kousaka sat down in the cockpit of the Barbatos.  
This suit was procured from a former DES ship, which shared a name with this LAS. The ship and its crew had changed sides, pledging allegiance to 00, and even gave them this suit as proof. The ship was left, along with the rest of the understudies and 00 staff, back in their home dimension to keep watch.  
The cockpit of the Barbatos was changed to a regular 00 cockpit, meaning it's exactly the same as a regular LAS cockpit. And as a member, Honoka was its current pilot.  
Honoka chose a song from the playlist and smiled.  
The Barbatos' eyes glowed intensely before returning to their normal color.  
"It's showtime." Honoka then apprehended her enemy.  
"You bitch!" Ryuko shouted. "I'll show you who's boss here!" She pointed her gun, and a heated battle began.


	7. Chapter 7

DES BATTTLESHIP GUSION

Sayaka was checking the virtual map, counting off the rooms and corridors.  
"Okay, that one's the canteen… living quarters… storage…"  
"Sayaka-san!" Umi pointed to a group of approaching DES soldiers. One of them raised his gun.  
"You four! Halt!" he commanded, but these four weren't going to listen to any commands.  
In a flash, Sayaka produced a microphone, which turned into a beam saber, and dashed towards the men, slashing at the lead man, stunning him-like 00's other weapons, these swords were not meant to paralyze. The other two soldiers tried to react but were stopped by Mayuyu, who, to Nico and Umi's amazement, transformed her arm into some kind of gun. She disarmed the other two soldiers, allowing Sayaka to attack.  
"Close one," Mayuyu said.  
"Yeah," Sayaka agreed, wiping sweat from her forehead. "Come on, they should be right this way."  
As they ran towards their destination, Umi couldn't help but think of Honoka, and hoped that her friend would be alright.

SKIES ABOVE AKIBA

All the meanwhile, Honoka was firing the Barbatos' smoothbore gun at her opponent. The computer onboard the Barbatos recognized the opponent as the Gusion, another Gundam Frame.  
The Gusion, however, was doing a fine job of swatting the shells with its hammer.  
"She's good," Honoka, who was now sweating heavily, muttered. "Fine, if that's how you want it!"  
The Barbatos was also armed with a mace, held in its left hand, and a katana, stored in the back since it's not in use. The smoothbore gun folded up and was stored in the Barbatos' back as well, allowing Honoka to hold the mace two-handedly. She lunged at her opponent, who blocked with the hammer before using its heavier weight in an attempt to push Honoka back.  
Honoka returned the favor by using her leg to push back her opponent with a well-placed kick. In a fast motion, Honoka unfolded the smoothbore gun again and damaging the Gusion's shoulder amor. She fired again and hit one of the Gusion's sideskirts, damaging it.

"Damn, who is this girl?" Ryuko said through clenched teeth. She could not deny Honoka's skills as anoperator of the Barbatos.  
 _She's way better than me!_  
"But… I can't lose to her, not here! Time for a little song!"  
Ryuko activated her little power source…

 _Dancing, dancing! Non-stop my dancing  
Dancing, dancing! Non-stop my dancing  
Dancing, dancing! Non-stop my dancing  
Dancing, dancing! Let me do!_

"It's Shocking Party again," Honoka muttered. She figured that the Gusion's main power source was none other than Tsubasa's voice… "Tsubasa-san… don't worry. I will save you!"  
Honoka attacked with the mace again, holding it in a two handed grip. The Gusion raised its hammer in defense, and this time it was able to push back the Barbatos.  
"It's stronger now!" Honoka exclaimed, to her surprise. "What happened to it?"

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Ryuko shouted, now feeling as confident as possible. She could feel the despair in the poor idol's voice as she was forced to sing for her. After pushing the Barbatos back, she followed with firing the Gusion's torso cannons. The Barbatos' shoulder armor was hit, destroying both of the shoulder armor.

 _Party shocking party, are you ready to get started?  
(Come here, right over here)  
Party shocking party, the world is turning  
(Come here, right over here)_

 _It's for nobody else (Me and my freedom)  
Because it's all up to you (Go, go! We are freedom)  
It's 'cause of nobody else (My soul is free)  
You're the protagonist you know? You understand?_

DES BATTLESHIP GUSION

Erena Toudou and Anju Yuuki, the other two members of A-Rise, were sitting at their cell, silent, worried for their friend.  
Suddenly they heard shouts and recognized the voices of their guards crying out in surprise.  
What surprised them was seeing Umi Sonoda and Nico Yazawa of Muse, along with two other girls, both holding what appear to be microphone beam sabers.  
The two Muse members were the first to approach the cells to meet up with Erena and Anju  
"Erena-san, Anju-san!" Nico called out. "We'll get you out of here."  
Umi looked around in wonder. "Where's Tsubasa-san?" Indeed, Tsubasa was nowhere within the cell rooms.  
Anju shook her head.  
Erena spoke. "Some people took her. They were performing some kind of experiment on her. They took her to some kind of mechanical laboratory..."  
Erena saw one of the girls consulting some kind of virtual holo-map.  
"Sayaka-san, where is it?" Umi asked while turning around to meet the girl she called for.  
"It's just in the corridor to the left," Sayaka said. "I'm accompany you. Mayuyu, Yazawa-san. Take Erena-san and Anju-san, then get back to the ship. Wait for us."  
Mayuyu nodded and immediately brought out a flamethrower. "Stand back." Erena and Anju followed, and Mayuyu shot at the bars. Of course, as the bars were made of metal, they melted in a matter of seconds.  
"Let's go," Nico said, reaching out to both A-RISE members. "We'll save Tsubasa, promise," she told Erena and Anju.  
"That's right," Umi confirmed and nodded in accordance to it. "Honoka is out there right now fighting for us. We can't fail her."  
"Honoka-san… fighting?" Anju asked, totally clueless about the situation at hand.  
"It's a long story, which we'll tell you later," Nico said. "For now, let's go!"  
The group separated into two. Mayuyu and Nico took a reversed course while carrying Erena and Anju towards the ship, while Umi and Sayaka rushed to the experiment room where two guards were standing.  
Sayaka wasted no time, using her sword to stun the two guards. Umi opened the door and gaped.  
Tsubasa was sitting down in some kind of chair with wires connected to it. A helmet of some sort was connected to her.  
A scientist who was monitoring her shouted. Sayaka recognized him as Dr. Shimada, a scientist known for his inhuman experiments before being adopted by DES.  
"Who the hell are you? Guards!" Shimada shouted in warning, then called for his assistants.  
"Your guards are over there," Sayaka said, pointing to the collapsed figures by the doorway.  
Shimada tried to attack her, but he was suddenly hit by a DES soldier helmet, knocking him out.  
Sayaka turned around and saw Umi had thrown it.  
"Nice throw," Sayaka complimented, her voice full of amazement, as she did not expect Umi to shoot something at supersonic speed.  
"You should see me with a pillow," Umi informed Sayaka, making the poor girl worried as to what would happen if she would have gotten herself in a pillow fight with the bluenette.  
The two quickly started to work on freeing Tsubasa.

SKIES ABOVE AKIBA

Honoka swung the mace at the Gusion, but her opponent blocked it. Honoka tried again but her opponent dodged her attack this time before turning around in a full circle, retaliating with her hammer, attacking the chest area.  
"Aaah!" Honoka shouted in pain as she felt the vibrations done by the hit. The chest was where the cockpit was, after all.  
Honoka raised her mace but her opponent gripped her hand and ripped it off the Barbatos' arm.

 _I want to know more, of this excessive life  
Let's delve into the dreams  
I want to know more, of this excessive life  
So let's have a shocking party_

 _Dancing, dancing! Non-stop my dancing  
Dancing, dancing! Non-stop my dancing  
Dancing, dancing! Non-stop my dancing  
Dancing, dancing! Let me do!_

"This is too easy. Too easy!" Ryuko said, laughing evilly. Her opponent was losing already, after all. Thanks to her superior piloting and the song system employed by DES, she was gaining the upper hand. Although a part of her still regretted the fact that it wasn't her powering the system on her own…  
Suddenly alarms showed on her screen.  
"What the hell!?" Ryuko exclaimed.  
The Gusion, which was holding the Barbatos in a tight grip, was now losing its strength.  
"What is happening?" Honoka wondered as she looked at the hand of Barbatos. It was damaged enough, but surprisingly, the grip was getting weaker.

Honoka didn't understand why her opponent suddenly started being weaker, but now was her chance. Using her remaining arm, she drew her katana and in one strike, sliced at the Gusion's hammer arm. Now both LAS are one arm short, but Honoka had the advantage of a weapon. The Gusion could do nothing else but try to escape while firing its cannons.

"Damn, damn, damn!" Ryuko screeched, as if throwing a tantrum. "System error again?" She tried to contact the ship. "Report, what is happening?!" she shouted. As Honoka was taking advantage of the Gusion's weakness, Ryuko suddenly saw her other arm being sliced out bit by bit by many slashes received from Barbatos' katana. Panicking from getting her legs cut out as well, she repeated her statement.  
A soldier answered through the radio. "Enemies on board… have taken the prisoners…"  
"What!?"  
Ryuko gritted her teeth. _Fine, if it's come to this…  
_ She opened her voice and sang.

 _AH~!  
AH~!  
AH~! _

_Why does it become night  
So fast in Shibuya?  
We met for a little bit  
The two of us on the usual way home from school  
Surprisingly before we say it  
It gets close to my curfew at the game center  
But it's the start of love  
Because there're various things happening_

Takamina paused when she heard that. Kanata did, too.  
"Takamina-san…"  
"I'm not mistaken. That voice…."

"Ryuko! What the hell are you doing?" Captain Nakajima's angry voice echoed in the cockpit.  
"But Nakajima-sama—" Ryuko protested, but was immediately cut off. Ryuko getting off guard resulted in another opportunity taken by Honoka, and the latter finally got to cut the entire arm of the enemy Gusion.  
"Get back here! Retreat!" Nakajima commanded, which left Ryuko no other choice but to follow.  
"Ye-yes, Nakajima-sama…" Ryuko muttered.  
Ryuko threw one last evil gaze at the Barbatos before teleporting away.

Honoka was tired. Sweat dripped from her body.  
"That… was a very close fight…"  
"Tsubasa-san!" Sayaka called. "We have successfully retrieved the three members! Returning to base." After the report, she and the others were already visible through an incoming ship.  
"Excellent," Katagiri confirmed. "Bring them here."  
When the ship got inside Katyusha, Honoka remembered. She contacted the bluenette through the comlink.  
"Umi-chan! How's A-RISE? Tsubasa?!"  
Honoka heard her friend's voice, in a worried tone.  
"Anju-san and Erena-san are o-okay, but… Ho-Honoka…" Umi started her statement through stutters, probably from fear. "Tsubasa-san, her condition is critical. We're rushing her to the clinic now."

AKB0048 BATTLESHIP KATYUSHA

"Damn, damn, damn! Dammit all!" Honoka shouted in frustration as she ran alongside the hospital bed Tsubasa Kira was lying in. "Tsubasa-san, hang in there! Please!"  
"… Honoka…" Tsubasa mouthed, as she too weak to even let a groan out.  
"Faster!" Sayaka commanded, and the entire team rushed into the clinic to get the school idol treated.  
"Here!" Yuki signaled and pointed to the ER, and they all moved the bed to that area. They advised a majority to keep out of the room until they came up with results.  
"Tsu-Tsubasa-san…" Umi called out with her face full of terror as she looked at the doors. She'd seen everything, after all. "Sh-Shi—" she covered her mouth as her legs failed her. She sobbed until tears finally came out.  
The other members stared silently at the doors as they hoped for good news.

KATYUSHA'S EMERGENCY ROOM

"What happened?" Yuki quickly questioned as she attached various machines into Tsubasa.  
"While we were entering the ship, alarms broke out and we took that as a signal to cast the escape faster. As we were carrying Tsubasa Kira, her right arm was suddenly ruptured. Eventually, she's started bleeding right from her inner arm. Next thing we knew; her entire arm has been cut off from her body. Same with the other."  
Yes, they've been looking at a horrible image this whole time. Kira Tsubasa had both her arms cut off, and has been bleeding out badly ever since the rescue.  
"She's losing too much blood. And… please remove her clothes. They were tattered way too much," Yuki commanded, and of course the others followed.  
Wounds that seemed like they've been slashed were present within Tsubasa's torso and joints. They also seemed to have been really deep, and it might have hit veins, thus the quickening loss of blood.  
As the members were working on Tsubasa, Honoka stared at Tsubasa's body, her eyes devoid of any light.  
 _I remember those wounds._  
Yes, she figured it out. Those were the paths her katana took to wear out the Gusion II. That must also explain the amputated limbs. She could not even deny it.  
Honoka fell on her knees. Despite not knowing the situation at all, she knew one thing.

She was Tsubasa Kira's killer.


	8. Chapter 8

"Damn…!" Honoka forced out a curse. A curse to herself for being so careless. So dumb as too not even know that tiny bit of information.

"Rush it!"  
"Don't let her die!"  
"I need some help here!"  
"Her heartbeat! It's dying out!"  
"Come on, do something! We can't let a single one of us die!"  
"It's hopeless…"

Honoka heard a volley of these statements as AKB0048 themselves were trying to keep Kira Tsubasa away from death. But it was, indeed, hopeless. She had hit too many vital parts in the Gusion II, after all.  
 _But wait. AKB has the highest technology, right? They can save Tsubasa-san, right? They can prevent her death, right?  
_ Honoka forced an assured smile as she watched the others in their attempt to save a life. A loved one's life.

But then the most horrible thing happened. Tsubasa's heart rate fell from a hundred to zero in a matter of seconds. The long beeping sounded seemed to have echoed across the emergency room.  
The beep was loud, but it seemed distant to Honoka. She became deaf to what was happening. She barely even knew what that sound meant. And then she saw the rest of the members in the emergency room as they became more desperate and despair became present in their faces. _Could it be…?  
_ "No…!" Honoka muttered as she slowly walked towards Tsubasa's deathbed. "No! This can't be!" She started to shout as she swatted the others away. "Tsubasa-san! You're not dead, right?! You can't die now, right?!" She shouted as she shook Tsubasa awake, but to no avail.  
"You said you're gonna pursue being idols, right?! You still want to enjoy the moment of being idols, right?! Tsubasa-san, you can't give up now! You still have Anju-san and Erena-san to lead! They're hoping and praying you're gonna survive this, and things will be normal again! Hey, Tsubasa-san! Please! Wake up already!"

"… I hate to do this, but Sayaka. Restrain Honoka," Takamina silently gave out orders. "She's about to hit the highest emotional levels." Sayaka followed and held Honoka by her wrists, then her arm. But then, Honoka expected it, and hit Sayaka-s hand away.  
"Stay away from me!" Honoka yelled. "Tsubasa-san is still fighting! I know that, because she's the strongest person I know!"  
"But, Honoka—" Sayaka tried to protest, but Honoka was not going to stop.  
"She's not dead, alright?! She's just unconscious, and she'll have to wake up pretty soon! She's just resting! I know that!"  
Yuuko moved from her position. "Honoka-san, it's unfortunate, but…" She rolled her sleeves and muttered "I have to do this." And then she socked Honoka in the face. The ginger-haired girl fell unconscious, and Sayaka caught her before Honoka hit the floor. Sayaka then carried Honoka bridal style while the others were preparing to spread out the bad news.

AKB0048 BATTLESHIP KATYUSHA, SICK BAY

Muse, A-RISE, and the understudies alike were waiting just outside the emergency room. Their faces were expectant and anxious. It should be natural. It was taking long, and they were hoping to find out that Kira Tsubasa was still alive.

They heard the click from the room's door. They moved away as the successors came out of the room. Their faces were solemn, and among them was Sayaka. She carried Honoka while wearing a face that seemed to be on the borderline of crying. They then looked at the unconscious Honoka, who had bloodshot eyes and dried lips, as well as a fresh bruise. She seemed to have been crying badly inside the emergency room.

It was through the successors' faces that they realized.

Kira Tsubasa was declared dead.

"You… You've got to be kidding, right…?" Erena whispered. Anju started sobbing as her knees fell into the tiled floor. The other members of Muse were on the verge of tears as well. The understudies kept sad faces, from having known the patient for such a short time.  
"… Damn…" Nico, who has been keeping a tough expression since the rescue, finally broke down and cried. She embraced the nearest person to her, which was Nozomi. Nico buried her face onto Nozomi's chest as the latter tried to calm her down. Nozomi's tears, in the meanwhile, weren't so different. Eli stayed tough and comforted the two, patting their shoulders, though tears slowly formed in her eyes as well.  
"Tsubasa-san…!" Hanayo also broke into tears when she found out that the person she looked up to has passed away. She and Rin embraced each other. While Hanayo was crying, Rin tried to hold her own tears, but her state was no different than the others.  
Maki also tried acting tough, telling herself that she'd still go on without Tsubasa, but she was soon caught into the atmosphere. She covered her face as she fell on her knees.  
Kotori already started crying the moment she knew. Umi sobbed and then forced herself outside the vicinity. Outside the sick bay did she start crying. Hers was the loudest among those who cried. She has seen Tsubasa's death before her eyes, after all.

FLASHBACK: DES BATTLESHIP GUSION, MECHANICAL LABORATORY

"Come on…!" Sayaka tried everything she could. She tried cutting the wires connected to Tsubasa's body. She also tried kicking the helmet off of Tsubasa's head. She also suggested turning off the Gusion's power, but that would give away their position before they turned it off.  
"I'll find my way here!" Umi shouted before heading over to the computers. "Akimoto-san, please back me up!" she told Sayaka before heading towards the keys.  
"Boy, do they have such convenient language function…" Umi muttered in amazement as she started typing out commands into the computer. She finally came through the last line, where they mentioned the Gusion II's connection with Tsubasa. Umi realized that Tsubasa was powering up the mech, so she erased the data and input a command to cut the connection instead. The helmet then came off of Tsubasa's head, and the wires fell soon after.  
"Oh!" Sayaka sounded in disbelief. "Didn't know you have such amazing hacking skills.  
"I've had programming down pat, so simple C-commands like these can be reformatted easily," Umi informed after sighing. "Now, let's work on getting Tsubasa-san out of here!"  
"Yeah!" Sayaka agreed, and the two started rushing over to Tsubasa, but they saw horror.

Tsubasa's shoulders suddenly started receiving blows. After that, Tsubasa received mysteriously random slashes. From the hands up until Tsubasa's shoulders, slashes were everywhere. Next was her torso. And legs, although they were slightly wounded.  
"Fo-For beginners, let's carry her into the ship!" Sayaka commanded, but she was getting scared. Umi, however, was in a state no better than Sayaka. Nevertheless, they proceeded to carrying the wounded Tsubasa as they thought that her wounds were only a major feedback from being freed.  
The next thing that happened was the finisher. Tsubasa's right arm suddenly flew from where it was supposed to be. It landed in front of the rescuers. They both had horrified faces, only to worsen once the left arm was cut off soon after. Blood ran from her arms down her body. As the two stood there, Tsubasa has already made a pool of blood.  
"H-Hurry!" Umi rushed and then they decided to fully carry Tsubasa's body towards the ship.

When they got there, the two met up with Mayuyu and Nico, as Erena and Anju were already inside.  
"Wh-What happened…?!" Nico said the moment she saw the bloody figure of Tsubasa leaving a river of blood behind the team.  
"For now, we should not let the others know…!" Sakaya muttered. "Cover her wounds as tightly as you can! Then cover her with some big cloth!"  
"Y-Yeah…" Nico followed as she stumbled back to the ship. She brought back what the team needed, and they started patching Tsubasa up as they went inside the ship.  
Erena and Anju immediately approached their friend the moment they saw her unconscious. They saw everything, despite the rescue team covering it. They wore the same expression as those who'd seen it first. Sayaka, however, managed to calm down as she helped Mayuyu pilot the ship back to Katyusha.

AKB0048 BATTLESHIP KATYUSHA, HALLS OUTSIDE THE SICK BAY

Umi continued crying and hugging herself as she reminisced that horrifying moment. _I've seen Tsubasa-san die! In from of my very eyes!_ She could not even turn her eyes away from that moment. Tsubasa's death replayed itself within Umi's memories, as if to tell her that she was Kira Tsubasa's killer.

"Umi-chan…" Kotori muttered from the doors of the sick bay.  
"S-Stay away!" Umi panicked as she stood up and stepped away from Kotori. "I'm a murderer, Kotori! Don't you realize that it was me who killed Tsubasa-san?!"  
"Umi-chan, now's not the time to say that!" Kotori shouted. "We're all sad about Tsubasa-san passing away! We're not pointing fingers at each other, so please do not take the blame for youself! Please, Umi-chan…"  
"Kotori…" Umi called out in a soft-spoken voice. Finally letting her feelings flow out, she seeked Kotori's embrace as she started sobbing again. The rest of the members hugged her as they told themselves the same sentence.

 _Tsubasa-san passed away._

DES BATTLESHIP GUSION, HANGAR

Nakajima stood before the destroyed Gusion II. He was angry. No, "angry" was not going to cut it. He stared at the mehca's remains as he clenched his fists and grinded his teeth against each other. He was mad at that damned idol group for damaging his prized possession.

"Na-Nakajima-sama…" And then there was Ryuko, who sang on her own accord, to ruin Nakajima's plan.  
The captain, however, remained calm and sighed. "Ryuko, I keep telling you. It's alright. It's just a surge of emotions that took over you. And besides, this is the second time the Gusion II lost control in battle, so something like its destruction cannot be helped."  
"… I'm sorry, Nakajima-sama…" Ryuko muttered.  
"For now, all of us must rest," Nakajima announced, his voice loud and powerful. "We still have the Gusion II right here. We can still revive it. All we need to do is look for the right materials. And some modifications, which we will be discussing about in the later days. We'll make it the perfect battle LAS, and take out AKB0048 completely this time. But for now, we must be tired already. We've had out power source stolen from us, and I understand your pain, but we still have Ryuko Kanzaki right here! We'll train her to be the perfect pilot for the Gusion II, as well as our figure head as we step out into the final battle! Dismissed!" He then left the hangar with his staff applauding his speech.  
Even Ryuko was inspired by Nakajima's speech. _Nakajima-sama has finally acknowledged my skills as an LAS pilot! I better do my best and train every day!_ She then followed her captain inside the ship.

DES BATTLESHIP GUSION, DR. SHIMADA'S OFFICE

All the while, Shimada was watching all the surveillance cameras as they showed him a replay of the infiltration earlier. While he tried to keep a serious expression, he could not stop himself from smiling. With that, he suddenly laughed.  
 _Those fools! The operating system was designed to be simple for this very purpose! And these reactors within Tsubasa-chan are perfect! They followed through the entire process of Gusion II's damage! This is most probably the best experiment I've ever had!_

He could not stop from laughing. So much that he did not hear the knock coming from outside his office. He stopped laughing, cleared his throat and calmed himself down as he answered the door. "Come in," he called out. A DES scientist came in to give him a report on Gusion II's current status.  
 _Ahhh, boring. Another report…_ Shimada thought as he dismissed the scientist. He reviewed everything and saw the request to have the mech repaired and improved to be fit for Kanzaki Ryuko's perfect control, and this time Ryuko would be the pilot and the power source at the same time. He smiled again as he realized that his experiments have not yet ended.

 _So Ryuko-chan's my next subject, huh…_


	9. Chapter 9

AKB0048 BATTLESHIP KATYUSHA, BUNK ROOMS

Honoka came to her senses around two hours after she had been socked unconscious by Ooshima Yuuko the 9th. Her cheek had been covered up by a gauze and some medical tapes to prevent any further swelling.  
Honoka groggily got up and pressed her forehead, maybe from the shock Yuuko's punch might have given. She pressed on the memories she last had before that moment.

 _Ah, that's right. Tsubasa-san is…_

She could not even finish the thought, as she silently sobbed at the sad reality.  
It was not like she has accepted it, however. It was the fact that it was a hopeless case nevertheless.  
AKB's abilities were not for keeping someone alive. It was to make people feel like they were alive.  
Honoka realized that, and got mad at herself for doubting AKB.  
"Ah, stupid ol' me…" Honoka muttered and messed her hair up as she looked down on her bed. She shifted her position to make herself sit on the edges of the bed.  
She was on the bottom platform of the double deck, and sleeping before her were Honoka's former members; some from her generation, some were not. But she knew all of them, especially Ayako, who was currently the Yuki Kashiwagi of AKB.  
"Well, in the end, we all make mistakes, huh…" Honoka continued to mutter as she resolved herself to stand up. She then exited the room to look out the halls.  
Things became awfully peaceful ever since the rescue mission. Everyone seemed to be asleep, as she heard nobody walking in the halls. Well, except for one familiar girl.  
This certain girl was headed towards the bunk rooms, so she saw Honoka exit the room just then.  
"Ah, Kousaka Honoka-san. Or should I say… Ooshima Yuuko the 6th."  
Honoka turned to see the girl, who had brown hair and the same lump of hair tied to a right side ponytail.  
"Ah, Ooshima Yuuko the 9th, huh…" Honoka called and looked at the girl in front of her with intent.  
"Seems like you just woke up. Wanna head over for coffee?" Yuuko offered. "Maybe we can talk things out while drinking."  
"Ah, yeah, sure," Honoka agreed. "I'm in."  
Yuuko then lead the way without any more words, as if she was assured that Honoka would follow.  
The latter did, and they were soon in a vending machine. They got what they wanted, and then sat down on the benches right across the machines. They then popped open their cans and took a sip, at a seemingly exact same time.  
After Honoka took her sip, she then asked Yuuko. "So, what did you want to talk about?"  
"First of all, I wanna say sorry," Yuuko said. "I guess punching you across the face was too harsh for a method to calm you down."  
"Ah, don't mind it," Honoka denied, waving off Yuuko's apology. "I think that was best. I must've gone crazy back then. But apologizing isn't the only thing you wanted to talk about, right?"  
"You see, Honoka-san—or rather, Honoka-senpai," Yuuko started, "I just want to know how you feel right now, after Kira Tsubasa-san's…"  
"Ah, that…" Honoka muttered as her heart stopped for a moment. It went from calm to crazy in a matter of seconds. She gripped her can with sheer force. "Please don't bring her up. I'm still in a shock."  
"I'm sorry, but I… just wanna know how painful it is to lose someone," Yuuko reasoned.  
"It just hurts, okay?!" Honoka suddenly shouted, dropping her drink and standing up to face Yuuko, who was still sitting down. "Even gripping my chest doesn't make it feel any better! You can't think of anything else. You can't run away from her! You can't even bring her back! It makes you regret everything you've done so far until that moment! Urgh, this is so damn painful!" Honoka then clutched at her chest to stop the pain, but it was not at all helpful.  
"Ho-Honoka-senpai!" Yuuko shouted as she put aside her coffee to support Honoka.  
"Damn those DES… I'll kill them!" Honoka muttered her resolve, and stood up as she walked briskly towards the hangar. "Even if it means my end!"  
"Oi, Honoka-senpai, wait up!" Yuuko called out as she followed Honoka. She wore a quite worried face. No, it was worse than worry.

She had to watch over Honoka and what she was about to do.

DES BATTLESHIP GUSION, NAKAJIMA'S OFFICE

"… And to that," Shimada concluded, "Captain, I would like to ask for your permission to let me test this one out."  
"No," Nakajima immediately declined. "I'm not risking any of my soldiers in this. Especially Ryuko. Shall anything happen to her, we'll lose all hope in defeating AKB."  
"I've been telling you a lot of times now, Captain. This procedure will not only improve her performance, but she also can be free to become the top idol she wants to be. Don't you think it's a win-win?" Shimada said.  
"And _I've_ been telling _you_ , Dr. Shimada," Nakajima countered, "This experiment of yours is way too risky. First of all, you are proposing an electric bond between the power source and the mech. That requires a lot of body experiments, and it will cost us a lot if we put this to use. And we should also consider repairing the Gusion II. If you have any idea how hard it is to find scrap metal in space, then you must understand why I cannot permit you."  
"But Captain, this will double—no, triple Ryuko-chan's performance! Isn't this—" Shimada brought out his argument, but…  
"I told you no already, didn't I?!" Nakajima shouted, thus surprising the scientist. "Get out of my office and rethink your proposal. Come back when you have some plan that will not harm any of my men or Ryuko in any way possible."  
Shimada grinded his teeth against each other, but he muttered, "Yes, Captain." The scientist then stood up and walked out of Nakajima's office.  
The captain, who was keeping a stern face throughout the entire discussion, sighed and finally showed worry.  
"What the hell was with that proposal? He might even risk death," Nakajima muttered as he put his thoughts around Ryuko.  
 _I'll keep her alive and free of harm, until that moment…_

His thoughts were interrupted when the whole room suddenly shook.  
"What—?!" Nakajima shouted as he stood up from his chair. The shaking only lasted for a second, but it was not excusable. He ran out of his office and checked the halls. "What happened?! Who—?!" Just when he was about to ask who did the shaking, he saw it.  
 _An AKB LAS…_  
"What happened?!" a girl's voice came from Nakajima's back, and out came Ryuko. "AK0048… are they being reckless?! Sending out a single LAS to tackle our ship?!"

OUTER SPACE, OUTSIDE DES BATTLESHIP GUSION

"YOU BASTARDS!"  
"YOU KILLED TSUBASA-SAN, DIDN'T YOU?!"  
"I'LL GET MY REVENGE ON YOU!"  
"I'LL KILL YOU ALL!"  
"COME OUT HERE!"

All of those were Honoka's statements as she launched missiles and energy beams at the helm of the ship. The staff were trying the return fire, but they didn't get to touch Honoka. With such skill, there was almost no one who could best Honoka in battle when she was at the peak of her emotions.  
The battleship then proceeded to sending out unmanned mechas to apprehend the intruder, but Honoka just brushed through them with grace. Her talent in fighting was splendid, and it was on a whole new level.  
All this while no music was heard.  
"YOU GUYS AIN'T COMING OUT, ARE YOU?! I'LL JUST HAVE TO—!" Honoka pointed her rocket launcher as well as her gun, but they were both out of ammo. "Damn, at this point of time…?! There should still be—!" She looked at her weapons and saw that there were still indeed plenty of them. "Then, why...?! Move!" She then tried to control her LAS, but it was in no condition to move at all.  
"Now's the time! Fire!" a command sounded out through outer space, and a series of energy beams and missiles came towards Honoka.  
Honoka's eyes widened as she realized that the LAS itself had lost energy.  
"Why? Why won't you move?!" Honoka angrily muttered while she budged on the controls. No, they were not moving. Not an inch.  
 _So all of my efforts were in vain, huh…  
_ Honoka closed her eyes and prepared for heavy impact.

But someone came in front of her and shielded her from the projectiles.  
"Eh…?" Honoka sounded as she slowly opened her eyes to what seemed like the most blinding sight ever. A silhouette of another LAS could be seen, and it met the impact of the missiles and lasers. "Yuuko-san?"  
"Ho-Honoka-senpai…!" Yuuko stuttered as she held out the pain she was feeling through the explosions. "Sing! Give the mech energy with your voice!"  
Honoka kept silent and chose from the list of songs she was supposed to sing as she came to a realization.  
That's right… I'm supposed to give life to this LAS through song!  
"Beginner" started to play, and they went through the intro before the verses, where Honoka was supposed to start singing.  
But when she opened her mouth, Honoka's voice did not come out. Not even a shred of it came out.  
"Honoka-senpai?! What happened?!" Yuuko called out as she finally came to get Honoka away from the projectiles. "Tch, this again… For now, let's retreat, senpai!"  
"… _Senpai_? But I'm a year younger than you…" Honoka muttered, but enough to let Yuuko hear through the comlink.  
"Because. That's all I can say," Yuuko replied, and saw that Honoka was already sleepy. "Take a rest, senpai. I'll carry you towards our ship."  
"… Yeah…" Honoka obliged, closed her eyes, and fell unconscious. She must have consumed a lot of energy.  
"You sure have your burst of energy… senpai," Yuuko muttered to herself as she carried Honoka's pod. "Looks like I'll be learning a lot again…"

AKB0048 BATTLESHIP KATYUSHA, HANGAR

When Yuuko arrived with Honoka's pod, everyone crowded the two and started to rain Yuuko down with questions, like "What happened?", "Did something harm her?", "Why did she go out all of a sudden?", or anything along those lines.  
"I'll answer all of your questions later! Just let Honoka-senpai rest!"  
"… _Senpai_?" Yuki asked. The others seemed to ask the same. "A person of your age calling someone younger than you _senpai_?"  
"It's a matter of experience, is all," Yuuko simply claimed and brought Honoka out of her pod before carrying her inside the ship. "Yukirin. Her voice—"  
"I know that, but I have to admit that this is not stress. Her voice box should be overworked from all that shouting," Yuki answered without hesitation.  
"Eh?" Yuuko sounded. It wasn't Honoka's case she was worried about. Well, that too, but what was more of concern was that her voice could be heard from more than a thousand miles.  
 _Was Honoka-senpai's voice that powerful before?_  
"Anyways, her voice should recover in a certain number of days with some adequate rest. That's all I can say," Yuki added, and ushered the others to give way to Yuuko. "Now, get a move on. I believe your senpai is not getting any more comfortable." Yuki giggled after, making Yuuko blush red.  
"Th-That's not…! Geez, I'll be going now!" Yuuko rushed to say so, and then proceeded to taking Honoka to the bunk rooms.  
"Ahhh, there she goes… To think this Yuuko would actually have her own upperclassman…" Yuki muttered. "Ah, that bring me, how are Toudou-san and Yuuki-san?"  
Sayaka answered, "They're still not coming out of their rooms. The food we've been giving them only had one bite off them each."  
"This is bad…" Kojiharu said while crossing her arms. "Everyone seems to be affected by that girl's death…"  
"Of course they'd be," Acchan agreed. "Losing someone dear… just hurts."  
"I wish we can do something for them…" Yuki whispered, thinking hard of ways.

"Takamina-san! Yuki-san!" someone called from inside the ship.  
The called ones turned to the voice.  
"Ah, Sonoda-san," Takamina called back. "What brings you here?"  
"We… We want to join AKB!" Umi said, her head high.  
"We want to help Honoka-chan!" Kotori added.  
"We can't let her do everything alone," Umi continued. "As her friends, we want to support her! To the best we can!"  
"Girls... What will you do to support her, then?" Takamina asked, her face serious.  
"We will… Muse will fight! Anything for Honoka!" Umi answered.  
"… You'll need more training than that," Takamina concluded.  
"Eh? Why is that?" Umi asked in the midst of her surprise.  
"AKB does not sing to fight," Takamina informed. "We sing to reach out to people's hearts. We hold concerts to give people a ray of light. That light is hope, and we're doing this to give them hope, not to let them succumb to despair."  
"… So… are we not good enough?" Umi, who led the group, asked the question which seemed like a statement of defeat.  
"But I like your resolve. Anything to give Honoka this ray of hope, huh… And to say you'd fight for it, despite not having any combat experience. It's been a while since anyone has had a resolve like that," Takamina said. "You're in. If anyone in this place objects, then we'll have to test them. How about it? To the attendants who don't want to let them in, raise your hand."  
No one raised a hand, much less a finger.  
"Anyone who wants to let them in, raise your hand."  
And everybody, almost simultaneously, raised their hands.  
"Guess we have no objections," Takamina voiced out her observations. "Yup. Welcome to AKB0048, 78th Generation." Takamina then gave out a hand for them to shake.  
Umi responded and shook Takamina's hand, but the latter tightened her grip of Umi's hand, to the point that the bluenette cringed from the pain. Takamina smirked to this and brought out a powerful aura.  
"Practice starts tomorrow. Just to let you know, our practice sessions aren't like your hourly dance lessons and voice practices. Is that right, girls?" Takamina informed and called out to all her members.  
All of them responded with a seemingly dark expression. One of them muttered, "Practice is hell in AKB…"  
"So! Will you be taking them on?" Takamina challenged.  
"What do you think of us?" Umi shot back, her head high and her mouth curved into a proud smile. She also wore the same aura Takamina was carrying, and the members of Muse just smiled nervously as they knew that Umi has found herself another demon. "We accept your challenge!"


	10. Chapter 10

AKB0048 BATTLESHIP KATYUSHA, PRACTICE HALL 1

"Come on! I said lower your hips, didn't I?!" Sayaka yelled at Umi as she held a gesture telling the latter to come at her. "Go! Charge at me!"  
"Y-Yes!" Umi, who was already sweating a river, charged at the black-haired girl, just to be thrown overhead for the twentieth time. Umi groaned in pain as she was in a fetal position.  
Sayaka reached for a towel and wiped her hands. "That's not good, Sonoda-san. If you want to fight, you got to learn the basics of hand to hand combat!" she said as she showed her muscles to the bluenette.  
Umi breathed heavily as she looked up at her training partner. She smiled, determined to take Sayaka down and finish her training. By then could she fight in Honoka's stead. She could become strong to support Honoka. Finally, that time has come.  
"P… Please continue teaching me, Akimoto-san!" she told her partner.  
"Osu!" Sayaka yelled in reply. As soon as Umi stood up, she charged at the black-haired girl with passion in her eyes. So much passion that Sayaka was taken aback, and was toppled over. They ended up with Umi just sitting over Sayaka.  
"I-I did it…! I did it!" Umi rejoiced after taking Sayaka down. Though, just as Umi was celebrating her victory, she was flipped over, and now it was Sayaka riding Umi.  
"Second rule in hand to hand combat," Sayaka started her lecture yet again, "never let your guard down. Not even for a second. New test. If you can take me down and hold me there for ten seconds, you're free for today."  
"That's unfair, Akimoto-san!" Umi whined, for the first time ever.  
"There are no rules when you are fighting in war, so times like these call for the appropriate measures," Sayaka excused as she stood up and dusted her hands. "Now, get up and come at me again!" She then reached out a hand for Umi to take.  
The latter took it and tried to stand up… only to get disabled yet again.

AKB0048 BATTLESHIP KATYUSHA, BRIEFING ROOM  
Besides Umi, there were the others who did their special training, although they weren't together in one room. Takamina was with Eli in the briefing room to teach her about mapping the entire battleship Gusion.  
"And right here is the bunk rooms, and here is the ship's helm, so from there, you will— Oi, Ayase-san! This is not the time to fall asleep!" Takamina shouted as she tapped on Eli's table, thus waking Eli up. The blonde got up too fast, and this made her head groggy.  
"Takamina-san… Good morning…" Eli greeted lazily while pressing on her forehead.  
"This is the third time you've fallen asleep, Ayase-san! And for the record, it's already high noon!" Takamina scolded.  
"Eh? That so? Hehe, good afternoon, then," Eli waved Takamina's scolding off with a laugh.  
To this, Takamina sighed and muttered, "This girl has a lot to learn…"  
"Anyways, I think this plan is flawed, one way or another," Eli observed.  
"Eh? How so?" Takamina was surprised. As one of the strategists of AKB, her mapping skills should not have any flaw.  
Eli requested the marker Takamina's marker, to which the latter followed. "Here, you said we have the bunk rooms, then the helm, which is approximately twenty meters apart, based on proportion. What we want most of all here is that we can get to the helm within a short period of time. With this length, unfortunately, and since there's nothing else between the bunks and the helm, there's sure to be at least ten to thirty men right around this area." Eli encircled the area, then continued talking without even pausing to see if Takamina understood. "Defeated or not, they block the path heavily. They should know our goal to breach their forces by going to the helm. Anyone stumbling past unconscious bodies cannot get through twenty meters on half a second."  
Eli kept talking about the minor details, but Takamina already understood where Eli was coming from. They were indeed going to be trapped outside if they chose the bunks as the way to the helm.  
"Wow…" Takamina just ended up being amazed at how experted Eli seemed while explaining the whole plan.  
"… And so, here's all we need to do," Eli finished her mapping, and drew a circle across the helm. She then dropped the pen and sighed. "If you have any objections, then we have no choice but to follow yours in the end."  
"… I have nothing to say," Takamina muttered as she found out the best strategy to breaching Gusion. "This is perfect!"  
To her amazement, someone knocked on the door, and came in Nozomi Toujou, who was then assigned to be Eli's assistant. "So I'm thinking Eli won over the strategy plan," she started.  
"I… I can't believe it. She put in so little effort to make up the best strategy plan…!" Takamina said as she faced Nozomi with an amazed expression.  
"As expected of out lovely president, Ericchi!" Nozomi casually went over to Eli's side, only to be swept over by the blonde.  
"The lovely one here is you and only you, Nozomi," Eli whispered in such an accent that made Nozomi blush.  
"S-Stop it, Ericchi. Takamina-san is watching—! Takamina-san?!"  
Takamina couldn't help the level of romance happening between the two that she fainted right in front of the pair. The two had to carry Takamina out of the room and into the sick bay to get her meds.

PRACTICE HALL 2

Nico and Maki were supposed to be sparring mates, and they really were assigned to be the pair, but they just would not budge and kept on declining their teacher, Kojima Haruna's instruction.  
"No! Of all people right here in this ship, it had to be her!" Maki whined and pointed a disgusted finger at the twin-tailed idol beside her.  
"I-I share the same sentiment. Kojima-san, please do find other people to pair us up with," Nico insisted.  
"B-But… You're the only two assigned to train with the micsaber…" Kojiharu said, a comical sweat drop forming on her head. "The others were either too afraid to learn it, or some are just too good to go easy on you."  
"But this will not go anywhere if this self-proclaimed top idol becomes my partner," Maki complained and reasoned.  
"Oh, and I will not let this snobby rich kid become my partner as well," Nico retorted, crossing her arms sassily.  
Kojiharu sighed, with seemingly no choices left. But right then did she remember Eli's statement right before they went to their respective practices.  
'To get the two moving, promise them something, anything that can motivate them to doing so.' Such were Eli's words.  
"Hey, guys…?" Kojiharu called, and the two faces her attentively. "Whoever defeats me first will have themselves a new training partner. I'll let someone in eventually, so—!"  
"Gladly," Maki obliged and came at Kojiharu with a clean and silent step before pointing her saber at Kojiharu's neck. But having the experience to micsabers and AKB's technology, Kojiharu blocked the blade with hers. She then twisted her sword to parry, but here came Nico, who swiped Kojiharu around the waist part. Luckily, Kojiharu was able to step back and slide to give herself distance.  
"Ah, I forgot," Kojiharu muttered. "They want to get separated from each other right now. But look at their style of fighting. It's as if… They're one person holding two swords…"  
She was straight down surprised that Nico and Maki could have such powerful teamwork, despite not having a single clue on the proper use of the micsaber.  
"He-Hey! You were about to hit me!" Nico shouted in one exchange of blows.  
"You're in the way, Nico-chan," Maki coldly answered. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be going out here and will defeat Kojiharu-san alone." She then charged towards Kojiharu, but seeing as there was only one person to battle, Kojiharu handled Maki perfectly.  
Nico also tried doing it along, but was easily waved off.  
After an hour-long exchange of blows, the pair finally heaved their breaths from the pressure Kojiharu started applying towards the both of them.  
"Oh? Tired now? Perhaps we need a break? I can give five minutes if you want to," Kojiharu said.  
"No, no. We're.. fine… Just… a little… rest…" Nico insisted, though her sentence stopped in between breaths.  
"If, so then I'll keep this up until the next hour," Kojiharu told the two the consequences. "You'll need some rest, you two. We're not—! Whoa!" She was surprised as a saber scratched her skin. No, she felt two of them almost hitting her.  
It was the two of them… So they finally decided to work together again, huh…  
"Then, I shall not hold myself back—! Wh-What the…" Kojiharu, to her surprise, was being pressured by perfectly timed slashes and stabs that she was forced to fall back. There was almost nothing she could do against the pair except back down.  
She laughed a bit just as soon as she stumbled backwards and fell on the cold metal ground.  
The power of these two… They can't be defeated as long as they're not separated.

HALLWAYS OF KATYUSHA

All of them were practicing. Kotori was being taught about explosives, Rin and Hanayo on paralysis and disarming weapons. Anju and Erena, in the meanwhile, kept grieving over Tsubasa's death. Locking themselves in their room and not coming out to even take in a bit more space.  
What are they thinking of, at this very moment?  
Honoka thought to herself as she walked along the hall. She's passed by the rooms Muse was practicing in. They were doing well, Honoka can admit that. Being the 78th Generation of understudies, they performed better than she did over the years that she was in AKB herself.  
But she worked hard, which got her to where she was, a Center Nova.  
"Senpai," a sudden voice called for her, and Honoka turned to the person, who she has already known well, for coining her nickname "Senpai", Ooshima Yuuko the 9th. Hikari Kirishima.  
"Ah, Hikari-chan…" Honoka called back and forced a little smile. "Where are the others?"  
"Sae-san and the others were looking for Mobile Suits to improve our power in the upcoming war with DES," Yuuko informed  
"Hmmm, I see," Honoka muttered. "I can see the only Mobile Suit we have is the Barbatos, and it's a Gusion we're talking about, after all. We'd need it."  
Yuuko can only nod at Honoka's statement.  
"But, senpai," Yuuko called again, "That's not what I came here for. We'll hear from them when they ccome back. I want to talk to you. How about we go to Practice Room 3?"  
"Ah, sure. If it's just a talk." Honoka then lead the way, with Yuuko following in shortly after her.

MARS WASTELAND

"Girls, report to the Captain straight away. We've found what we need," Sae talked to the others over a comlink.  
"Roger that," Acchan followed and tapped her comlink to give the report.  
"But still," Yuka started her statement, "what's up with Acchan? She didn't have to come. She'll be needed to provide practice for the 78th."  
"More importantly, the missiles they loaded even have the 'No idols' sign on them. Weird," Kanata observed.  
"That's not the point, though," Sae, the leader of the group, silenced the others. "These mechs are pretty much the turning point of the upcoming battle, and we're gonna use it."  
"But more of them are broken down. And we barely even have the power nor materials to fix them," Makoto input.  
"Just these are enough. We'd need some upgrades for the Barbatos, after all. The others who still decent enough for battle, we use them as they are," Sae said. She finally gave out the plans, and told the remaining soldiers to standby as they try to get a signal.  
Each of them smiled as they realized that they still stood a chance. They have found more rays of hope.

Unbeknownst to them, however, DES has received word that another battleship would be coming as their reinforcement, and they were abundant with Mobile Suits just as well. The ship went by the name Jahanams, the closest option given to Gusion, as well their last hope.


	11. Chapter 11

AKB0048 BATTLESHIP KATYUSHA, PRATCICE ROOM 3

"So, Hikari-chan—no, Yuuko-san, what are we gonna talk about here?" Honoka asked as she leaned on the wall of the practice room.

"Hey, Honoka-senpai, which practice room do you usually enter when you want to practice alone?" Yuuko suddenly asked.

"Practice, you say… Hmmm… I'd say the second one," Honoka answered plainly.

"Oh, I see…" Yuuko waved of her disappointment, as the trainees were using such a special place. "Honoka-senpai, which weapon did you specialize in?"

"I'd pick the micsaber, and make that two of them," Honoka answered as if she knew this was turning to an interview.

"Oooh, I love using two micsabers! Damn, Honoka-senpai, you're so cool!" Yuuko beamed at Honoka like a child.

"Th-Thanks…" Honoka muttered as she stared at Yuuko in a weird way. Yuuko saw this and stopped beaming.

"S-Sorry for the outburst. I just… feel more energetic, getting to finally ask you anything, he he…" Yuuko apologized and scratched her head.

"N-No, it's nothing… I'm just surprised that someone would actually see me like you do," Honoka admitted, which made Yuuko more excited than before.

"But, Honoka-senpai. What we came here for is not for an interview," Yuuko said as she wore a smile big with pride. "I want to challenge you to a dance-off! To see who's better."

"Dance-off, you say…" Honoka, taken aback, spouted. She looked at Yuuko, who was waiting for her to answer "yes". To this, Honoka smirked, because she saw herself in the current Yuuko, who didn't like to lose to anybody. "Sure. I'll take you on."

"Great!" Yuuko shouted, suddenly hitting the peak of excitement. "Then, which dance do you remember?"

"How about Beginner? I got a feeling that it burned itself into my head," Honoka gave her answer, all the while doing stretched in order to prepare herself for dancing.

"Beginner, it is," Yuuko confirmed, and then went for the speakers. On the count of three, the intro "In your position, set!" was played out, and the song finally started.

They danced to the beat, and Yuuko was amazed that Honoka still remembered the dance after so many years of departure from the group. The verses played out, and the respective Yuukos gave their all into the song. They nailed each dance move as if to mirror each other. It was going well for the both of them.

But when the chorus hit, Honoka seemed to have lost her passion. She slowed down, and then finally stood still. Yuuko watched the whole thing. She stopped along with her too.

"… So you're still affected, huh," Yuuko gave her observations.

"… Yeah. I believe I've lost my voice and my dance, as well," Honoka told Yuuko. "Tsubasa-san's a good person. She was the one who made me remember that idols existed, and that I had to tackle being an idol. She made me realize my goal. She's that important, yet she…"

Honoka sat down and hid her face, but she didn't cry. There still had to be a way to get Tsubasa back.

"Maybe she's just in the Center Nova dimension, and I can meet her by achieving so," Honoka said, with her eyes blazing with hope. "Maybe she's still alive somewhere and is just waiting for me to come retrieve her. That's right, maybe I'll bring Anju-san and Erena-san along with me. Maybe we can find her easier that way! And maybe if I do my best, just maybe… Tsubasa-san will come to me, pat me on the head and say that I did I great job. I… I can do just that, right? Right?"

Yuuko listened through all of them, though she didn't feel bitter about Honoka mouthing Tsubasa's name all the time. She just smiled all the way through. She felt the same way, after all. Missing someone meant bargaining after anger.

"You're great, Honoka-senpai," Yuuko started out of the blue. "I've looked up to you ever since I saw your face in the hall of photos back in Akibastar."

"E-Eh?" Honoka sounded as she turned to look at Yuuko who was staring at the mirror wall in the room.

"You inspired me. You inspired everyone even after you went Center Nova. I may not have witnessed it, but I'm sure you did it with a bang. Even Acchan told me how you looked like. You were shining so bright, like a supernova."

"… Acchan, huh…" Honoka muttered as she remembered a purple-haired girl inheriting Maeda Atsuko's name days before she went Center Nova. "So I was inspiring back then, huh…"

"Yeah. You were the one who inspired Acchan to be the next Center Nova," Yuuko added, which should trigger the thought that every Center Nova disappeared after reaching that peak. "Just as she became Center Nova, I inherited Yuuko-san's name. I also went Center Nova once. But Acchan told me I had lots more to accomplish, so here I am."

"Some Yuukos make it back from that dimension, huh…" Honoka said as she looked up and chuckled a little. "I was taken from that dimension to go back in time and protect Earth, to assure that AKB remained AKB before the revolution broke out. I met lots of friends and even made an idol group myself, performed through concerts. I had someone to look up to, and that was Kira Tsubasa. I may have been in AKB, but Tsubasa-san was… dazzling. Until now do I look up to her. But now…"

"Senpai…" Yuuko looked at Honoka and smiled a bit herself. "Come on. We've got practice, Honoka-senpai!"

"E-Eh? But I've lost my dance and voice, right?" Honoka doubted, but Yuuko pulled her up and patted her back."

"But you said you wanted to meet that Kira Tsubasa, right?" Yuuko countered, which surprised Honoka. "If you wanna meet her, then you gotta try your best. Your dance skills have been rusty for years, haven't they?"

"N-No, they haven't!" Honoka denied.

"Then, it's all good!" Yuuko smiled encouragingly. "Let's try Beginner again, shall we?"

With this, Honoka had no other choice but to give in. She smiled and stood beside Yuuko. "Let's do it!"

AKB0048 BATTLESHIP KATYUSHA, BUNK ROOMS

Erena and Anju still haven't recovered from Tsubasa's death. After all, they were the ones who were Tsubasa's closest friends. They stood beside each other for years, and a single blow just ripped their bonds apart.

They had heavy bags under their eyes. They began thinning out from the loss in appetite. They haven't even stepped a foot outside of the room ever since. In just a span of three days, A-RISE lost their image.

They were at their usual beds, asleep. Their room was warm enough, but all they felt was the cold air around them, that they had to use blankets in their sleep.

In all of sudden, they gained consciousness. Erena was the first, and Anju came next. They looked at each other and wondered what woke them up. A crash, maybe. Noise outside?

What woke them up, however, was not either guess. It was a melodious voice. This voice belonged to Sono Chieri. The song Chieri was singing was not familiar to the two, but they understood the message.

From a distance, Yuuko was drying herself from a recent bath when she saw Chieri singing before the door of the bunk room Erena and Anju were in. In order not to disrupt Chieri's singing, she hid before the curved hall and listened through the song.

It was Hoshi no Mukougawa. So she's trying to bring out the two.

It didn't seem like anything special. It was just a song meant to be sung to those who happen to be missing someone. Yuuko though it was normal, but once it hit the chorus, a brilliant light shone through the hall, thus surprising Yuuko. She peeked at the scene and saw Chieri with blindingly bright Kirara surrounding her as she sung. With this many Kirara before her, Honoka assumed that this girl has become a Center Nova at least once.

Yuuko walked out of the venue. She smirked as if someone challenged her to another competition for the Center Nova.

 _Damn, this generation is full of girls with high potentials._

DES BATTLESHIP GUSION, TRAINING ROOM

Ryuko herself had been practicing for days. Swordfights, wrestling, gunnery and mech stimulation. She was doing this all by herself in a span of three days by far, with no one to practice with and no opponent to dare challenge her.

All this because she was preparing for a body installation that will "erase her humanity", according to Dr. Shimada. She was ready to accept it, as long as she obtained the strength she needed to defeat AKB. This body installment operation was named Alaya-Vijnana by the scientist.

She knew the risks. The operation itself could put her to a long-term coma. Death was her worst-case scenario. But she was ready for that. She was willing to take the risks and let Shimada install that system unto her. So long she could complete her goal.

When she finished practice, she wiped the sweat of her face and walked to her bag. There she kept her refreshments, extra towels, spare clothes, and a diary. Ever since Shimada told her the results of the Alaya-Vijnana system, she wanted to spend the last bits of her life as a human by reminiscing the old times. Her past. The reason she joined AKB, as well as the reason she quit.

That reason being Ooshima Yuuko the 6th, Kousaka Honoka.

BONUS SCENE: MASSIVE CRUSH

OUTER SPACE, OUTSIDE AKB00048 BATTLESHIP KATYUSHA

Honoka seemed to be in deep thought while staring out into space. Of course she had to. She couldn't half-bake the battle she was going to be involved in. She was also worried about Tsubasa. She worried for Anju and Erena. She worried for everybody in the ship. What if they were in danger because of one mistake I've done?

Just as she sighed, an AKB LAS sped before her eyes. The mech took her breath as it twisted along space.

Honoka happened to look at its skills in flight when a girl rushed in from behind her. She was also surprised by this and looked at the girl. The girl stood beside Honoka and turned to look at the LAS speeding along. From what Honoka heard, the girl was named Megumi Wanaguchi. Besides that, Honoka knew nothing about her, but the way Megumi looked at the mech with eyes of wonder and pure interest made Honoka blurt out:

"You have an interest in the pilot inside that LAS, don't you?"

With that statement, Megumi blushed in an instant, and turned to face Honoka. "Wh-What are you—?!" She was about to burst when she looked at Honoka's face. Honoka was smiling at her, as if to tease. "G-Geez! Everyone here gets the same damn idea!" Megumi blushed harder, but she hid her embarrassment by running away.

After that, Honoka smiled to herself and sighed. Ah, love…


	12. Chapter 12

BACKSTORY: RYUKO

Kanzaki Ryuko was a poor child born in the slums of Lancastar. She was supposed to have golden eyes, but the light and shine was already taken from them. She was also supposed to have glossy black hair, but they became messy throughout the years.

She also lived the first ten years of her life with abusive parents. They ordered her around and made her do jobs for money, which they would be using for their own leisure. She even had to become a slave for money. Those ten years also brought her a younger brother and a younger sister, six and three years old, respectively.

As a growing child under the ruling of DES, she has never heard of idols until her teenage years. All she knew until then was merely surviving the life of a slave to a mining company, abused by her bosses, beaten up for leisure by DES soldiers, and being tortured daily with just a small piece of bread and a cup of tap water to scrape by for the whole day.

Ryuko would come home to her parents badmouthing her, and her siblings crying because they shared the same treatment as her. Yes, it was a messy household for the Kanzaki family. But she didn't care about it at all. Because at night, she would go to the roof and fall asleep looking at the stars, so near yet so far. But they were all shiny, nevertheless, and Ryuko would hold out her hand and reach for them and telling herself: "I'll definitely reach for them."

Ryuko was, for the past few years of her life, skinny and short. But that was only until she discovered of AKB0048, through talks of the DES soldiers. She then caught the same conversations and heard of some audition to join AKB and how they would be able to become idols if they succeeded. The way to the audition venue was by train. Being an adventurous child that she was, Ryuko knew the way to the train without getting caught. She wove through lines and finally got in the train towards the meeting place.

By that time, the light in her eyes, which weren't supposed to be there, gave out a bright gold glow. She was happy. Excited. Anxious. But all was well, because she always searched for a time where the tables would turn and she would finally lead a happy life up ahead.

Before her eyes were other girls who, just like her, want to be idols. Some had colorful hair, bright eyes, gifted features, tall and slender figures, as well as brilliant smiles, which Ryuko did not have. So to that, she isolated herself from them. She hid herself from them the entire time they were heading towards Akibastar. But what brought her out was a video playing out in one of the hologram televisions. It was a live concert of AKB0048. They were dancing and singing. They sang happy tunes and brought about cool moves as they did so.

While she was watching this, Ryuko's eyes sparkled and even shone brighter. She has found passion to be like them.

Look at those bodies! Perhaps they don't have a problem with eating three times a day. And the way they are able to dance might mean to say they don't worry much about work. If I'm able to join them, maybe I'll be able to experience the same life as them!

What made the biggest impact upon her was the one in the middle. She had ginger hair tied to a side ponytail, as well as shiny blue eyes. She was different among the rest. As much as the others were all different in their own ways, they all shone the same light. The girl in the middle was different. It was like she was surrounded by the stars in the sky. It was as if she was a star herself. You could say Ryuko was star struck by this girl. Even though they were of the same age.

When they finally transferred from the passenger ship to the Katyusha, auditions began. There was no turning back. They were all to undergo the same treatment. They were to come out if they wanted to show that they were worthy of being one with AKB. With all those hectic challenges like using weapons and wit, several girls dropped out. Most of them have quit. But Ryuko didn't give up. She fought through all of them. She also happened to make friends, Kanata Shinonome and Mimori Kishida. Together, they went through all of them until the defense of AKB's concert from supposed DES forces.

It was the first time in her entire that Ryuko has encountered three days full of excitement. But as if the goddess of luck was beside her, she passed the auditions, along with twelve others, including Mimori and Kanata. She was accepting, and even embracing the new life in front of her, as she and the others were proclaimed as the 75th Generation of the understudies of AKB.

The next days of her being an understudy was pretty much epic. It was her first time tasting meals that were unheard of in the slums. There was also her first time having three consecutive days with a bath. She has also experienced a day, just dancing and singing, although her time was more focused on weaponry. She has finally loved using them for combat.

More than her first time experiences were her encounters with her upperclassmen. There was Kashiwagi Yuki, Akimoto Sayaka, Tomomi Itano, Maeda Atsuko, Takahashi Minami, and many others. They all had different appearances and auras. Who stood out the most, however, was the center Ryuko looked up to: Ooshima Yuuko the 6th. She was known for the name Kousaka Honoka before she inherited the name. There was this light in her eyes that give out passion and excitement. Ryuko wanted to look into those eyes a little bit longer. Screw that; she wanted to look at them forever. It was as if her eyes were replaced by the stars Ryuko always looked at night when she was younger.

Ryuko wanted to have the same eyes as her.

But as much as she wanted to look up to her, she didn't have the guts to be like her. And it seemed like the others wanted to inherit her name. They looked to be the same as Honoka, like Ryuko wanted.

To this, they bullied Ryuko and even called her names behind the successors' backs. Kanata and Mimori would notice and defend her. A fight secretly grows and flashes to nothing by the end of the day. Ryuko would then take those insults to heart and cry. But as always, she would go out and look at the starry night sky and take them for Honoka's eyes. Her last words for the day would always be:

"I'll definitely reach for them."

She has endured almost a year of being bullied and working hard to someday sing and dance on the same stage as Honoka. What ended is that the understudies quit the team. They gave up, as it took almost a year with no one ever inheriting a name in AKB. They left Akibastar and towards their home planets.

It was the three of them left in the 75th Generation, Kanata, Mimori, and Ryuko. They struggled everyday with just the three of them. It was different without the twelve who left, but it never changed the way they lived.

What made a huge impact in their daily lives was a loss of a successor.

It was a fine day in Akibastar, and it was yet another live concert for the successors. As if it wasn't weird enough, it started raining outside. It was omen. An omen that brought about yet another great event: the coming of an enemy. DES.

"How many time have they attempted this, I wonder?" Ryuko muttered as she looked up to the battleships which were right then firing energy beams at the Akiba Tower. The successors, however, were quick on the draw, and have managed to evacuate the people outside before the attack. They then went in their combat mode, stepped on the floating stage, and began combat.

Of course, it was a life or death situation. They had to defend Akibastar against DES. So they sang. They sang with passion as they hacked through enemy lines. They sang with determination as they hoped the planet would be alright. Right then came the climax.

Among the defenders with Ooshima Yuuko the 6th. The wielded two micsabers, and it was surprising she could fight so well yet sing with unwavering passion at the same time. It seems she could not be stopped at all. They could still make this. But then, the brightness around her became too bright, as if they were about to consume her. As if she were becoming a star herself. Ryuko and the others had to close their eyes as Honoka shone her brightest. As she closed her eyes, she heard a whisper, seemingly from Honoka's mouth herself.

"You can definitely reach me."

When the light cleared, the battleships before were gone, and Akibastar seemed to have been quiet. Ryuko and the others have managed to keep Akibastar safe from the enemy. But one thing was missing.

"Where's Yuuko-senpai?"

They found out that Honoka's loss was an event that decided the "Center Nova". Whoever achieved that level of brightness would get consumed by the light, and be transported to another dimension where they could perform forever, unharmed by DES.

Since then, Ryuko became determined to become Honoka's substitute, and become the next Ooshima Yuuko. She worked harder than the others, even Kanata and Mimori. There was no one who could stop her from being the successor of the person she looked up to.

But the entire universe did not accept it. Honoka's loss seemed like a huge stone thrown at them. To counter this, they never let anyone in to succeed her position. Ryuko then received hate comments, mostly stating that it was impossible for Ryuko to succeed Yuuko's name. They even went so far as to send death threats. Ryuko was too pressured by the amount of hate they gave her. She was fine with bullying and all, but having even the whole universe hate on her was too heavy a burden.

So she, along with the twelve who gave up early on their mission, left the group.

All she wanted was a home who could accept her, feed her properly, and take care of her like any parent. It seemed like being an idol was not a solution. So she searched the entire universe yet again. She tried to search for her "home", but did not manage to find any.

Right then came DES.

They may be a group of scrawny looking guys whose scent were as foul as hers in the past, whose eyes were as dead as hers, and she even thought that they didn't have the policy to accept an ex-idol such as herself, but Nakajima, current captain of the ship she fell unto, accepted her after he heard her story. He fed her, gave her proper clothing, and even a place in the ship.

Yes, she felt accepted there. She embraced the enemy. She despised the world she was in before. She didn't like the community she thought would accept her.

But every night, before she went to sleep, she would still look up at the stars, reach her hand out to them, and whisper the words her own upperclassman told her.

"You'll definitely reach them…. Huh," Ryuko muttered as she shut her diary close. It was the final entry she wrote. In fact, all her entries ended with the same quote. "… Looks like I've failed you, senpai. I even fell into a way worse situation. I'm… about to become a monster." Tears streamed from her face as she clenched her fist and continued training.

AKB0048 BATTLESHIP KATYUSHA, HALLWAYS

 _I… dunno what to do with life anymore. It's just too sad without Tsubasa-san._

Honoka was walking down the halls when she passed by the entire group of successors.

"Honoka," Yuuko, who was leading all of them, called out. "I'm pretty much sorry if this hurts you, but this is for you. Really." With a straight face, she slapped Honoka across hers. Hard. So hard her cheek immediately became red.

"Eh…?" Honoka was clueless. Why would they gather up just to have Yuuko slap her across the face? She tried soothing her cheek out, but was slapped by the next person in line. Then the next one. Then the next. All of them had their turns, slapping Honoka across the face. So much that it was all swollen. Not too long did it take before the line ended.

"I'm really sorry, but please get your act together," Yuuko spoke once again. "I won't have you slacking off when we battle for Center Nova again! And for that, I need to see Honoka Kousaka-senpai at her two hundred percent potential!"

"… Really, you didn't need to slap me one by one across the face just to wake me up," Honoka smiled as she rubbed her cheeks. "But… yeah! Let's all have a good time and compete with passion in our hearts!"

"That's the spirit, Honoka-senpai!" Yuuko shouted as she gave a hearty laugh. Honoka laughed too, and soon were the others. Finally, the wake-up call Honoka needed all this time was called, except with a whole lot of pain.


	13. Chapter 13

AKB0048 BATTLESHIP KATYUSHA, CANTEEN-WEEK LATER

Honoka was just done from training. Although she really didn't stop being an idol after leaving AKB —she did start Muse after all— Tsubasa's loss still took its toll on her and it was a while before she was back in full swing. But with the help of the AKB members, not to mention her new friends at Muse, she was now back in action.  
She was taking a short break when Umi also entered the canteen and sat next to her.  
"Oh, Umi-chan! How's training?" Honoka asked.  
The rest of the Muse girls were doing training to get used to the various weaponry of AKB. It was decided there wasn't enough time to teach them all how to pilot.  
Umi opened her bottle of water and drank first before answering. "Mastering those floating platform things isn't easy, you know! It's a total balancing act! It… it's hard! I like it." Umi said with a gleam in her eyes.  
Honoka smiled nervously. Umi had always loved these kinds of tough training. "The others?"  
"We are all getting the hang of it, fortunately," Umi said. "Nico and Maki are a deadly tag team when it comes to sword fighting, did you know that?" Umi shook her head. "They pretend to fight, but really…"  
"Say, Umi-chan.."  
"Yes, Honoka?"  
"I'm sorry for getting all of you dragged into this. Really."  
"It's no issue. We are all your friends, Honoka. We'll support you in whatever decision you make."  
"One more thing. How are Erena-san and Anju-san? I haven't seen them anywhere."  
"Come to think of it, I had no idea," Umi replied. "I tried asking Chieri-san but she wouldn't answer."  
"Huh, that's weird," Honoka said.  
"Senpai!"  
Honoka saw Yuuko waving at her.  
"Ah, HIkari-chan!"  
Umi turned to Honoka with an incredulous look on her face. "Senpai?"  
"Umm, you know about the succession thing, right? SO, umm, I was Yuuko before her, see?"  
Yuuko had approached them. "Honoka-senpai! Umi-san too."  
"Hikari-chan! Are you going to train some more?" Honoka asked.  
"No, our assault is in two days so we need to rest our bodies. So, consider this a break. I'll tell the others!"

PRACTICE ROOM 1

The Katyusha's practice room was pretty spacious. In it the Muse members were training, helped by NO NAME, along with Acchan and Mariko.  
Rin was trying her best fighting a training robot, cheered on by Sonata.  
"Come on, Rin-san! You can do it!"  
"Don't hurt yourself!" Acchan said.  
Rin got up after being knocked down again. "Of course I can! Prepare yourself, robot!"  
This time she was able to predict the robot's moves and knock it out.

Kanata and Mariko, who had been fighting together for a long time, was taking on Nico and Maki in a sword duel. Surprisingly the two newcomers were able to put up a good fight against the two more experienced fighters.  
"Amazing, are you sure you're just beginners?" Mariko asked.  
"Your teamwork is excellent. It's like you're one person." Kanata added.  
"One person? The hell are you talking about?" Nico said, thrusting her sword forward. Kanata dodged the strike while Mariko took the opportunity to attack Nico, only to be parried by Maki.  
"Better watch out, number one idol," Maki said as she countered Mariko.  
"No, you watch out!" This time it was Nico who saved Maki as she blocked Kanata's strike.

Kotori was taking a break, chatting with Yuuka and Orine.  
"So you're childhood friends with Acchan-san and Chieri-san?" Kotori said.  
"Yep. Been together for a long time!" Yuuka said.  
"You can say we've been supporting each other ever since."  
"Honoka, Umi and I were childhood friends too! Same here, we've been supporting each other."

Hanayo and Suzuko, meanwhile, were trading all sorts of idol information.  
"You mean in the future, concerts were like this?" Hanayo said, looking at the video Suzuko was showing her.  
"Yes, it's a whole lot flashier. And definitely very exciting."  
"Well, we may not have that kind of tech, but the competition here is no less exciting! You see, in the Love Live, several groups compete!"

Nozomi and Eli were trying to practice singing with Chieri, but the noise was very distracting. Chieri was about to suggest moving to another room when Yuuko started calling their attention.

Yuuko arrived in the training room to see all this.  
She then knocked on the door frame to get everyone's attention.  
"Everyone!"  
The girls stopped what they were doing and looked at her.  
"Takamina has said that we need to rest our bodies now, since our assault is coming in so close. So, consider this the start of your short break!"  
As everyone was preparing to leave, she said, "Oh, one more thing. I'm gonna show you guys something cool!"

Yuuko led the group to the hangar.  
The nine muse girls had heard that several new LAS were found, which can be used in the upcoming battle, but none of them, even Honoka, had seen them yet.  
As they were about to enter, they ran into Tomochin. The blonde waved and talked to Yuuko. "You better ready your unit, Yuuko. I think you haven't even touched it yet."  
"Ehehe…" Yuuko scratched the back of her head. "Fine, fine."  
"Wait, so you'll be piloting?" Kotori asked.  
"Yep! So never fear, Yuuko will be backing you guys up!" Yuuko replied as she opened the door.  
Standing in the hangar were seven giant LAS, as big as the Barbatos.  
Three of them were green, while one in blue had different blue armor with more thrusters and a grappling hook. Another was a light green one with two swords, and the last two looked the same as the green ones but only in color purple.  
"Wow! I didn't know there were so many!" Honoka said.  
"With this we can beat DES!" Rin said enthusiastically.  
"So these will be the ones supporting us?" Eli asked.  
"Yep," Yuuko answered. "I'll take the one with two swords, Takamina has the blue one, Sae, Tomochin, and Kojiharu get those green ones, and the purple ones, umm…"  
"We'll take them."  
The group turned to the source of the voice as they saw Erena and Anju walking towards them.  
"Erena-san! Anju-san!" Honoka said. "Are… you guys okay now?"  
"Chieri-san helped us when we were grieving over Tsubasa's death," Anju said. "Thank you for that," she said to Chieri.  
"It's nothing," Chieri replied. "I've lost a loved one before. I know how it feels."  
"We saw how everyone was training so hard, so we decided to train as well," Erena said. "We asked Sae-san to help us."  
"You asked Sae? She's a great pilot, but her training is pretty harsh," Yuuko said.  
"Tsubasa would not want us to mope around at her death," Anju replied. "She would want us to take action. We know that this cannot bring her back, but it would comfort us to know that we have stopped DES in our universe."  
"Don't worry, we got your back, Honoka," Erena added.  
Honoka nodded. "And I'm going to do my best too. With all of you guys working hard, I can't be left behind!"

Kanata and Mariko had separated themselves from the group and were sitting in the canteen. Facing them was Takamina.  
"That enemy pilot…"  
It was the issue that was burning at their minds for some time now, but the need to train Muse meant they had to set it aside. Now, however, they were free to talk about it.  
"There's no mistake about it," Takamina said.  
"Yes," Mariko replied sadly.  
"It… it definitely is Ryuko-chan."  
"Should we tell them?" Takamina asked.  
Mariko and Kanata were silent. They had been good friends with Ryuko back then. But Ryuko had left, and they hadn't heard from her since. They didn't expect her to be a part of DES!  
Kanata stared at the glass of water in front of her. What should they do now?

DES BATTLESHIP GUSION

Ryuko woke up in the hospital bed.  
"Good morning, Ryuko!" It was Dr. Shimada.  
Ryuko tried to get up but was stopped by Shimada. "You need rest, for now. Later, we can train you on the new control system for the upgraded Gusion. Don't worry. It won't be that hard. After all..."  
Ryuko still looked human, felt human. But as she lay down, she felt the two protrusions on her back, the mark that she was no longer human. Not anymore.


	14. Chapter 14

SKIES ABOVE AKIBA

 _Now, you made it here on time  
As long as we start running, something will begin  
A seven-colored bridge_

 _The rainbow train is running according to schedule  
Departing towards our dreams  
I want to set off on a journey with you  
Come, let's throw away everything!_

NO NAME has just finished it's part of their live concert, to the applause of the watching people, who were amazed by the technology that was displayed by the idol group. However, they were in for quite a surprise tonight.  
"Everyone!" Acchan said out loud. "We're not done yet. Now some familiar faces are going to sing to you. We present to you, Muse!"

Honoka lead the other members towards the front, all of them riding the special platforms that allow AKB to perform in the air.  
"Now everyone! Let's have some fun!"

 _Honest feelings tie us all together_ _  
_ _Even when we're being serious we're clumsy, Our hearts clash_ _  
_ _Even so I want to achieve big dreams_ _  
_ _It's right here, It's only just begun_

As she sang, Honoka smiled. As she performed, she remembered why she loved being an idol so much. Performing, seeing the smiles on the people's faces… it's what uplifts her. Looking at her friends, they were also the same. Giving their best to put smiles in people's faces. Its why this operation cannot fail.

BRIDGE, KATYUSHA  
Tsubasa Katagiri was monitoring the performance with interest. Despite Muse being with them for only a short time, they were able to perform on such a high level. Perhaps because they have a former AKB member with them? She shook her head.  
No, that is not all. While that may have helped, each girl had talent and were able to help and support each other through their friendship.  
She watched as the performance was finishing.  
"What a great group you have formed, Honoka Kousaka."  
One of the bridge crew alerted her.  
"Approaching heat source! It's the DES ship!"  
The monitor displayed the image of the now-familiar ship. Launching from it were several large LAS, as big as the Grazes that they have acquired.  
"No data on those LAS!" the bridge crew erported.  
Tsubasa started giving out commands.  
"Takamina, get the Graze squadron to launch, intercept those LAS! Muse, NO NAME, you know what to do. Honoka, get back here and prepare for launch!"

"The normal LAS squadron has launched! It's our turn!" Takamina said.  
"Minami Takahashi 5th, Schwalbe Graze. Launching!" Takamina's blue unit led the charge.  
"Yuuko Ooshima 9th, Graze Ritter. Watch me, Senpai!" As soon as the Graze Ritter got outside, Yuuko drew both of it's swords, ready for a melee.  
"Tomomi Itano 11th ."  
"Haruna Kojima 8th."  
"Sae Miyazawa 10th. Graze team, let's go!"  
The three green units, Sae's distinguished by a horn on top of it's head, launched.  
Lastly two purple ones were to launch.  
Erena Toudou, Gaze Ares type. It's time for a shocking party."  
"Anju Yuuki. Graze Ares type. We'll show you our private war!"

Takamina scanned the surroundings.  
"We're still on top of Akiba, not good. Lure them away from the city and into an area without much people."  
"Roger that!" Yuuko said as she charged straight at her opponents.

DES SHIP GUSION-BRIDGE  
"Our Jahanams have engaged the enemy, sir!" someone reported to Nakajima.  
"They seem to be baiting us away from the city."  
"Hah. Let them. It doesn't matter where we fight," Nakajima replied. He pressed a button to contact the hangar. "Ryuko. You ready?"  
"Ready to comply," Ryuko said.

DES SHIP GUSION-HANGAR

Ryuko sat down on the cockpit of the revamped Gundam Gusion Rebake and prepared to be linked to it via the Alaya Vijnana system, allowing her to become one with the suit, increasing its' speed and reflexes and moving it as if it were her own body. The cockpit was specially designed for this purpose, with a plug designed to go into the device implanted on her back. Ryuko was ready for the slight shock the system gave her as she connected and gave herself time to get used to the connection.  
Finally the connection was complete. "Ryuko Kanzaki, Gundam Gusion Rebake. Launching."

The battle was starting to move away from the city and into a mountainous area.  
While the AKB members were at the forefront, the two members of A-Rise were closer to the ship, attacking any enemy that might come close.  
Takamina fired at the Jahanam that was attacking her, only for the Jahanam to block it with it's shield. It then drew it's battle axe, discarding the gun and closing in to attack. Takamina quickly countered with her own battle axe. The two axes collided, but Takamina's unit, with its powerful thrusters, was stronger, so she was able to overpower the Jahanam.  
Yuuko, meanwhile, was handling several troops on her own, doing quite well despite having only swords compared to her opponent's guns.  
"Is that all you've got?" Yuuko said.  
The Jahanams decided to attack her all at once, all of them wielding axes.  
"Well. That's more like it!" She started to sing her favorite song.

 _1! 2! 3! 4!_

 _I want you!  
I need you!  
I love you!  
Inside my head  
Music keeps playing  
Heavy rotation_

"We are AKB after all," Kojiharu said.  
"We are the strongest when we sing!" Tomochin added.  
"We can't let Yuuko have all the fun, can we?" Sae said.

 _Like pop corn popping  
The words "I love you" are dancing  
Just by thinking of your face or voice  
I just can't sit still_

 _I am so lucky  
To be able to feel like this_

Sae, an expert in LAS piloting, had no difficulty attacking the approaching Jahanamns. With the grace of an experienced pilot, she decapitated one at the same time shooting at another.  
Kojiharu preferred using the axe, as guns really weren't her thing. She was assisting Sae in attacking.  
Tomochin preferred a more ranged game, with her Graze equipped with a missile launcher, supporting the other two by distracting the enemy Jahanams.

 _I want you!_ _  
_ _I need you!_ _  
_ _I love you!_ _  
_ _Since I met you_ _  
_ _The distance between us is getting shorter and shorter_ _  
_ _And this puts me in the best mood!_ _  
_ _I want you!_ _  
_ _I need you!_ _  
_ _I love you!_ _  
_ _Inside my heart_ _  
_ _My affection is overflowing non-stop_ _  
_ _Heavy rotation_

Takamina has joined into the singing as well.  
A Jahanam was coming at her when she activated her grappling hook, grabbing the opponent's gun and following it up with shooting the Jahanam's arms. Unnoticed by her, another Jahanam was sneaking up on behind but Yuuko attacked it before it was able to do any harm to Takamina.  
"You better watch your back," Yuuko said.  
"Why should I, when I know that you're there to back me up?" Takamina replied.  
"Haha. Stop acting so reckless, o mighty leader," Yuuko replied as a fresh wave of Jahanams were deployed from the DES ship.  
"Dammnit how many of these things are there?" Yuuko said.  
Takamina received a notification on her monitor. It was a radio transmission.  
"This is Mayuyu. We're in."  
Takamina smiled. Alright. Everything was going into place. Now..  
"Something big is approaching!"  
Along with the Jahanams there was a new face. With light brown armor, a new gun weapon, and overall slimmer look, it could have been mistaken for a brand new suit. But this is the revamped Gundam Gusion, deadlier than the original.  
Ryuko surveyed the battlefield. "Not here yet. Well. I'm going to kill all your friends until you appear once more, Barbatos! Now. Let the party get started."


	15. Chapter 15

DES SHIP Gusion-Hangar A  
Umi was hidden behind a corridor. Earlier, while the Grazes launched and attacked, MUSE, NO NAME and some successors has used the chance to enter the DES ship.  
Umi was with Mayuyu, Kotori, Maki, Nico, Kanata, and Mariko. The others were in other group that was to go to the ship's engine room.  
"The diversion seems to have worked," Mayuyu said. "Now we need to get into the ship control room."  
"Scared now, princess?" Nico taunted.  
"Like hell," Maki replied. "I'll show you."  
"Silence, you two," Umi said. "They might hear us."  
Despite putting on a brave front Umi was nervous as hell.  
Kotori clutched the stun grenade she held and whispered into Umi's ear before throwing it.  
"Don't worry, I'm with you. We can do this."  
And Kotori began to sing as she threw the grenade into the hangar.

 _Lonely my love. lonely my heart_ _  
_ _I'm not a flower bud_ _  
_ _Lonely my love. lonely my heart_ _  
_ _I want to be picked_ __

 _Longing for kindness, being hurt by kindness_ _  
_ _I'd never wanted to experience these feelings,_ _  
_ _I can't handle them_

Mayuyu led the charge. Bursting from their hiding place, they surprised the soldiers, who were not expecting the enemy to infiltrate them. She was immediately attacked, but with her quick reflexes she was immediately able to counter.  
"Destroy the communications panel!" Mayuyu ordered.  
Umi zoomed into one corner of the room with a telephone attached. A soldier was already reaching for it.

 _Your heart is so distant, I want to cry_ _  
_ _But even so, I've decided I will wait_ _  
_ _For you, my first love_

"No you don't!"  
Umi punched the guy, but the soldier caught her fist and countered with a punch of his own, knocking Umi down on the ground. The soldier then tried to punch her as she was down, but Umi rolled away and delivered a strong kick, knocking down the enemy combatant.  
"Not bad, girl," the soldier said as he got up. "But this is the end for you!" The soldier pulled out a gun and aimed it at Umi. Umi froze with fear, but suddenly the soldier was hit with an electric shock. Umi saw Kotori holding a micsaber, which was set to stun to avoid killing the soldier. Kotori gave her a wink and said, "Like I said, Umi-chan. I got your back!"

 _Anemone heart, my lonely heart_ _  
_ _The tears of a flower blooming alone_ _  
_ _Gaze at me more, I'm right here_ _  
_ _Anemone heart; Affection runs throughout my body_ _  
_ _Someday, our loving heartbeats will meet_

A group of soldiers surrounded them. Umi prepared herself in a fighting stance, while Kotori held her micsaber.  
"Ready, Kotori?"  
"Any time, Umi-chan."  
Umi attacked the soldier in front her, shoving him forward and causing him to hit the soldiers that were standing behind his back. Another soldier attacked but this time Umi grabbed him by the arm, twisted it, and knocked him to the ground. Two soldiers attempted to attack her but Umi ducked down, causing the soldier's punches to hit each other. As she was ducked down, Umi quickly delivered a punch to both soldiers, knocking them down.

 _Lonely my love. lonely my heart_ _  
_ _I'm not a flower bud_ _  
_ _Lonely my love. lonely my heart_ _  
_ _I want to be picked_

Kotori was no slouch either. Using her micsaber she was able to fight the DES soldiers, backing Umi up by attacking those that attempt to attack her from behind.  
However no one was more skilled with the Micsabers than Nico and Maki, who were working as a team to take out several DES soldiers that had surrounded them. One by one they fell the continuous attacks of the duo.  
Kanata and Mariko, another experienced pair, were busy taking out enemies of their own.  
Finally they have defeated all the DES soldiers in the hangar area.  
"Well what do you know?" Nico said. "I took down plenty of enemy soldiers!"  
"I took down more than you," Maki replied.  
"Oh please. You couldn't have done it without me," Nico said.  
"Uum, guys.." Kotori was trying to act as the peacemaker between the two with no success.  
"Oh, shut it, you lovebirds can go argue later," Kanata said. "We have some more work to do."  
Maki and Nico blushed.  
"Hey!"  
"Were not-"  
The two looked at each other, blushing, before Maki broke up the awkwardness. "Oh, whatever! Come on Nico-chan, let's get to work!"  
"Disable the mobile suits," Mayuyu said. "We can't let DES send reinforcements." She tried to contact their second team, who was attacking Hangar B. That team was composed of Sayaka, Rin, Hanayo, Sonata, Yuuka and Orine. Kanata and Mariko were close by, since Kanata was worried for her sister.  
"Team 2. Sayaka. How's it there?"  
Sayaka's response came through. She sounded pained, as if hurt.  
"Our attack went fine. But then she…"  
"Sayaka-san, don't push yourself!" Kanata recognized the voice as Sonata.  
"Sonata! Are you alright?"  
"Onee-chan! Yes, we're fine, except for Sayaka-san. Our attack was going along well, but then this girl came in. She was so strong! Sayaka tried to fight her, but she lost."  
"A girl? What does she look like?"  
"A girl with black hair and gold eyes."  
Mariko and Kanata looked at each other.  
"Where is she now?"  
"She took a brown mobile suit out!"  
"A brown mobile suit?" Kanata asked.  
Mayuyu was transmitting to Takamina reporting the situation when she heard Takamina gasp.  
"Takamina, what is it?"  
Takamina transmitted an image of the new mobile suit that was facing them. It was seen by both Mayuyu's team and Sayaka's team.  
"That's it! The suit that just got out!" Sonata said.  
"It has the same energy signature as the Gusion, so we assume it's the same one," Takamina said.  
"It looks so different…" Sonata said.  
"We already have Honoka launching in the Barbatos. Keep to the plan," Takamina said.  
Mayuyu nodded.  
She then looked at both Mariko and Kanata.  
"So. What do you two want to do?"  
Kanata was the first to speak. "Please, let us go out."  
"Ryuko was our friend. We cannot abandon her," Mariko added.  
"Very well. Take those two," Mayuyu said, pointing to two blue Jahanams.  
Nico, Maki, Kotori, and Umi had finished their job and had now rejoined the team.  
"How's the second team?" Umi asked.  
"Rin and Kayo-chin are fine nya!" Rin said.  
"Thank goodness then," Kotori said.  
"What about the others?" Maki asked.  
"Sayaka is injured," Mayuyu said.  
"Like I said, I'm fine!" Sayaka said.  
"Ah, Sayaka-san, don't stand up!" Kotori heard Orine's voice say.  
"No, I'm fine. We hav to continue our mission."  
Mayuyu nodded. "Understood. We'll meet you in the control room."  
She then cut the transmission.  
"Are you sure that's okay?" Nico asked. "She was hurt."  
"She's been through worse," Mayuyu replied. "This is nothing."  
She then looked at Kanata and Mariko.  
The two went off, getting into the two blue jahanams.  
"Where are they going?" Kotori asked.  
"To save a friend," Mayuyu said.

Ryuko was about to attack when she was greeted by two enemy mobile suits.  
The first fired it's gun, and Ryuko responded by pulling out her huge shield. Made from the heavy armor that the Gusion originally wore it can't be broken easily. The second one charged, slamming it's axe into the shield.  
"Answer me! I know you're in there!" a voice said.  
Ryuko thought she recognized the voice but couldn't place it.  
"Don't you remember us? Even after what you've done?"  
Ryuko's eyes shone. "Oh, right! You're those two idols! How's your buddy, by the way?"  
"Dead, thanks to you!" another voice said. _The second idol,_ Ryuko thought.  
"I, Erena Toudou," the first voice said,  
"And me, Anju Yuuki," said the second voice,  
"We will be the ones to defeat you!" 


	16. Chapter 16

Ryuko easily blocked Anju's axe, and then pushed her backward.  
"You girls are way too weak to fight against me. But very well. If you insist. SNIPING MODE!"  
The armor on the Gusion Rebake's head slid to cover its head, leaving only one huge sensor.  
She then aimed her gun and fired. Anju and Erena dodge and returned fire, but Ryuko was able to dodge them as well. While dodging, she was able to score a hit, destroying the left leg of Erena's Graze.  
"Erena!" Anju said, worried.  
"I'm fine. But she's very strong… to be able to hit me, while we were moving fast… it's time to take this seriously!"  
Anju smiled. "I thought you'd say that."

 _Can I do? I take it, baby! Can I do? I make it, baby!_ _  
_ _Can I do? I take it, baby! Can I do? I make it, baby!_

"They're singing?!" Ryuko said. _Impossible. How can they still sing? After what they have gone through, they still find the strength?  
_  
 _Yeah, are you leaving?_ _  
_ _I'm not gonna chase after you_ _  
_ _Basically, I hate creating crowds_

Anju attacked, her bullets bouncing off the shield.  
"That didn't work the first time, what makes you think it'll work the second time?" Ryuko taunted.  
"Of course it wouldn't work. That's why we have this!"

 _I'm someone who understands the pain of loneliness_ _  
_ _Sometimes we trade words_ _  
_ _and think of each other at our own places_ _  
_ _Boosting up each other's day_

Erena attacked from the other direction, her axe slicing into Ryuko's gun. Ryuko immediately let go of the gun before it could damage her. Quickly she grabbed her axe, which was stored under her shield, and raised it, intending to cut off one of Erena's Graze's arms.

 _What'cha do what'cha do? I do "Private Wars"_ _  
_ _Hey, get a hold of justice and be sly_ _  
_ _What'cha do what'cha do? I do "Private Wars"_ _  
_ _Hey, life's got a bit of courage and passion, doesn't it?_

Erena countered by raising her own shield and letting it be cut instead. Anju followed this up with firing from her gun. Ryuko dodged them, but both Erena and Anju were able to keep up with her.  
 _Impossible,_ Ryuko thought. _It can't be! I'VE HAD ENOUGH!_ __

 _Can I do? I take it, baby! Can I do? I make it, baby!_ _  
_ _Can I do? I take it, baby! Can I do? I make it, baby!_

The two A-Rise members continued this pattern of attacks. Erena slammed her axe, trying to damage the Rebake, but Ryuko was able to use the Rebake's long axe to counter, using the axe's handle to block the attack and forcefully throw Erena's axe. Now left without a weapon Erena was more vulenerable.  
"What now, girl? You're mine!"  
"Unforunately not!"  
Anju had used to moment to sneak behind the Rebake and attack using her axe, raising it for the final blow.  
Ryuko smirked after seeing through the trick the two made. "Not so fast, princess."  
The two huge boosters in the Rebake's back opened up, revealing two sub-arms. Using the sub-arms Ryuko blocked the attack by grabbing Anju's axe hand and ripping it from her body.  
"Anju!"  
Erena quickly went to defend Anju, but without any weapons she was defenseless as well.  
"This is the end for you two! Join your friend in death!"  
Before she could finish them off, she was hit by a familiar mace. Using her sub-arm, she was able to grab it and snapped the mace in half.  
She turned to face the one who threw the mace. It was her. The LAS that has humiliated her. With new armor and weapons, just like her. _Excellent.  
_ "So finally you arrive, Barbatos! Now we settle things, right here!"

DES SHP GUSION

Umi, Kotori, Nico, Maki, and Mayuyu made their way towards the bridge of the ship.  
Nico and Maki were at the front, using the micsabers to block enemy shots and stun any soldiers in their way, with Mayuyu holding the rear.  
However as they were passing through one corridor, the group came face to face with several DES soldiers. Attempting to move back, they discovered that their path has been blocked as well.  
"A trap," Mayuyu said.  
"Thanks for stating the obvious," Nico said.  
Umi readied herself in a fighting stance, but Kotori placed her hand on Umi's shoulder. In this tight corridor, they would have difficulty fighting.  
Umi gritted her teeth.  
A man with a labcoat walked in front of the soldiers. Adjusting his glasses, he began to speak.  
"We knew you were going to take the bridge, and of course you would be passing in this thin corridor. Now we have trapped you."  
"It's Shimada," Mayuyu said.  
Shimada heard her and smiled. "Excellent, someone here knows me! Then you must know what happened to your friend was my doing. Amazing, right? And now, you all will face the same fate."  
The group remembered the horror they saw in Tsubasa's body, the damage she has incurred.  
"Like hell that would happen!" Nico said as she attempted to attack, but one of the soldiers hit her with the butt of his gun, knocking Nico down,  
"Nico-chan!" Maki knelt down to comfort her partner.  
"How about I start with you two, first?" Shimada said with a slasher smile.  
Mayuyu was smiling. "You won't be starting with any of us."  
Suddenly the floor exploded, and out of the floor Megumi Wanaguchi jumped out, holding a huge mace which she used to hit Shimada full force, knocking him out-and those soldiers who happened to stand next to him.  
"Take that, you monster!"  
Before the soldiers could react, two more figures appeared from below. Eli and Nozomi, armed with their own Micsabers, joined Megumi.  
"How are you doing, Niccochi?" Nozomi asked.  
"Nice going, idiot," Nico retorted. "You could have arrived before they attacked me?"  
"That's because you provoked them," Maki said.  
"Listen to your girlfriend, Niccochi," Nozomi said as she reached for a holster attached to her hip. In it was not a gun but… cards?  
"Kind of like Kunai," Nozomi said to the confused looks of Nico, Maki, Kotori and Umi.  
She threw them at the soldiers in front, knocking them out.  
Mayuyu used the confusion to attack the soldiers in front of her, their training no match for her fighting skills and robotic body parts.  
"We'll take care of this guy," Eli said, pointing to the knocked out Shimada. "You guys go to the bridge."  
"Thank you, Nozomi-chan, Eli-chan, and…" Kotori paused at Megumi, trying to recall her name.  
"It's Megumi! Megumi Wanaguchi!" the girl introduced, her head high.  
"Oh, Megumi-chan! Thanks a lot, really!" Kotori cheerfully expressed her gratitude.  
"Come on, Kotori!" Umi ushered.  
The group started heading for the bridge once more.

HANGAR  
"You ready, Kanata?" Mariko asked.  
"You bet. Getting these things operational was a pain though."  
The two were in the cockpits of the blue Jahanams they had acquired.  
It turns out the reason the two suits were left there was because their software wasn't finished yet. Fortunately, Kanata and Mariko were able to get it working.  
"I've changed the signal so we won't register as enemies," Mariko said.  
"Nice one, Mariko. Now, let's go. We need to save Ryuko."  
The two opened the hangar doors. It was going to be difficult without a catapult, but they have to make do.  
"Kanata Shinonome, launching."  
"Mariko—no," she said, pausing. "Mimori Kishida. Launching."  
"Mariko..." Kanata said, surprised.  
"I'm going to save her not as Mariko Shinoda, but as her friend, Mimori Kishida," Mariko replied.  
Kanata nodded in agreement and smiled at her friend. "Now, let's go!"  
The two launched out of the ship, ready to save their friend.


	17. Chapter 17

AKB0048 BATTLESHIP KATYUSHA

Honoka was looking outside, where the battle was supposed to be happening. It was raining really hard. Both ships were currently right above Tokyo, so they were being really careful not to hit any edifice.  
"Honoka-san, the enemy's Gundam Frame has launched. Erena-san and Anju-san are already engaging it. Please stand by," reported one of the bridge crew.  
"Roger that," Honoka responded before sighing and leaning on her seat.  
She was sitting in the cockpit of the Barbatos. She was to be kept in reserve until the enemy Gundam appeared.  
"Here's a visual of the fight," the other member informed and showed a holographic screen in front of Honoka's eyes.  
Honoka saw a slimmer robot than before. It had also changed its color from green to brown. However, it's huge shield and the boosters on its back betrayed its origins, as it was obvious that the shield was made from the Gusion's back, and the boosters from its lower legs.  
"So you'll be my opponent… "Honoka muttered to herself.  
"You're clear to launch," the crew signaled.  
Honoka sat straight up and handed the controls. She then looked at the picture she taped on one side of the cockpit – one with her and Tsubasa in it – before replying.  
"Honoka Kousaka, Gundam Barbatos. Launching!"

Honoka watched as the Gusion destroyed her mace by snapping it in half. It then faced her, holding its axe in one hand and shield in the other.  
She unhooked her new weapon, the wrench mace, from its slot in the Barbatos' backpack. Much like the Gusion the Barbatos got upgraded, with better shoulder armor and tougher chest armor, along with new sideskirts to make it more agile.  
Without a word, the Gusion attacked, dashing forward while raising its axe. Honoka answered by meeting her opponent's challenge head-on. The wrench mace had a special design where its end is designed like a jaw, much like a T-Rex jaw. Honoka used this to bite the axe right below its head, preventing the Gusion from dealing a hit.  
Frustrated, the Gusion slammed it's shield into Honoka, causing her to lose her grip on the axe, which surprisingly wasn't damaged very much.  
"That's one tough axe," Honoka muttered. She readied to charge when she saw two new objects approach via her radar.  
"Enemy units? Wait, those two are…"

"She's stronger than before. Excellent! I can prove my superiority to her by defeating her!" Ryuko was about to attack when she received a notification from her radar.  
"Reinforcements? The blue Jahanams? Did they get those two working already?" Ryuko thought. "Wait, the identification signals are different. Those two…."

Kanata and Mariko arrived to see the Barbatos and Gusion already locked in combat.  
"Ryuko!" Kanata shouted.  
The Gusion, not dropping its battle stance, turned to the two approaching units.  
"Ryuko, it's us! It's Kanata and Ma-Mimori!" Kanata said.  
"Ryuko!" Mariko rushed to Ryuko's side, but Ryuko pointed her axe at her defensively.  
"Ryuko, why…" Kanata said. "You just disappeared! We didn't know where you went! What happened to you?"  
"If it was about what happened before, we would have supported you no matter what," Mariko added. "And that same remains now. It's not too late, Ryuko!" Kanata continued.  
"It… it is already too late," Ryuko whispered before engaging the two into battle.  
Without warning the Gusion sped towards Kanata and Mariko, attacking with its axe.  
"Crap! Wait for me, Mariko, Kanata!" Honoka fired the small guns on the Barbatos' arms, but they didn't do much damage, since they were meant only to distract in close combat.  
"Dammnit…" Honoka tried to attack, but Ryuko somehow sensed it and threw the GUsion's huge shield at her, forcing her to evade. At that point Ryuko had already made it to Mariko. Ryuko used the tip of the axe handle, which was sharp, as a stabbing weapon, but Kanata came to Mariko's aid, blocking the attack with her shield.  
Ryuko however pushed stronger, and it resulted in the entire arm of Kanata's Jahanam to be ripped off, impaled in Ryuko's axe.  
"Kanata!" Mariko said with concern.  
"I'm fine," Kanata replied, although Mariko could hear the nervousness in her voice. They clearly were outclassed.  
"Kanata, Mariko!" Honoka cried out.  
"Please, Honoka-san! We have to handle this ourselves. We weren't able to help Ryuko then, but now…"  
"Wait…" Ryuko asked. "Honoka…san?"

As Kanata, Mariko, and Ryuko were fighting, Honoka was thinking about Ryuko, pilot of the Gusion. Why did she sound so familiar? Honoka tried to think. If ever she met her, it was during her 00 days.  
However she had no time to think as she saw Kanata's suit getting damaged.  
Rushing to help, she was rebuffed by Kanata.  
And that's when she remembered. She heard her sing before! And that voice… it could only be…  
"Honoka… -san?"

Ryuko couldn't believe it. The one she has been fighting all this time, her enemy, it was Honoka?  
"Ryuko! You're Ryuko Kanzaki, aren't you?!" Honoka tried to confirm.  
"You remember her, Honoka?" Kanata asked.  
Honoka remembered. No, it was more like her memories of her past life returned to her. Ryuko was young and very eager, and she idolized her very much. Honoka often saw her hang out with Kanata and Mariko back then. Now, she has turned into a DES soldier?  
"Ryuko-chan… what happened?" Honoka asked.  
Ryuko was initially speechless, but she started to talk. "A-after you left… it was hard! I tried by best! I wanted to succeed as you… but the fans don't want it. They didn't want me to succeed! I… I was…" Ryuko explained through sobs before she finally broke into tears.  
"So you ended up with DES," Honoka said.  
"I didn't want to!" Ryuko shouted. "I didn't want to join them! They're our enemies, after all! But… but they provided me a home. Shelter…. Support…"  
"We could have helped you to, dummy!" Kanata tearfully said. "But…"  
Ryuko shook her head. "I was too weak… I did not trust in you, my friends..." she glanced at Kanata and Mariko. "I ran away instead of facing my problems head on. But now it's too late for me…"  
"It's never too late," Honoka declared.  
"What? Don't you see? I've become the enemy! With these hands, I aided in killing people!"  
"You still have that idol's aura," Honoka replied. "It is never too late to change."  
Honoka held out the Barbatos' hand.  
Ryuko was tearful. _Is it possible? Me, return?_  
"Sorry, not happening."  
Ryuko heard the voice being broadcasted in her cockpit.  
"What's that? Who said that?"  
Shimada's face was suddenly displayed on screen. "Hello, girl."  
"Shimada! Why, you…."  
"I had an inkling that this would happen, so I had a little something extra planned!" Shimada cackled with glee. "Time to use the full potential of the Alaya Vijnana system!"  
Suddenly the cockpit started moving. Machinery started covering Ryuko's body.  
"What's this!? What's happening?" Ryuko tried to shake off the machines, but she can't.  
"Now you are being connected to the machine… the ultimate union between man and machine! Most excellent!" Shimada said. "And you know, just in case…"  
A hatch from the top of the cockpit opened, and a helmet with a red visor was lowered and forcibly attached to her.  
Ryuko tried to struggle but it was placed onto her without difficulty.  
"Oh, stop being a baby," Shimada said. "That here is a little side project I had. I like to call it 'Embody'…"  
The helmet activated, shining bright red.  
"Ryuko?"  
"…Ryuko-chan?"  
Ryuko mindlessly attacked, thrusting her axe into Kanata and Mariko before Honoka blocked it with her mace.

DES SHIP GUSION-HANGAR

Eli, Nozomi, and Megumi were at the hangar, waiting for their pick-up. With them is Dr. Shimada, who was being guarded by Hanayo and Rin, while the rest of the second group joined Mayuyu's group to storm the bridge.  
"Sae, we're ready here," Megumi said.  
"Alright," Sae responded. "I'll be coming to pick you guys up, so you sit tight. Great job, especially to you, Megumi."  
Megumi blushed and hoped that none of her teammates noticed.  
Of course someone did.  
"Well, now we know who's going out on a date when all this over," Nozomi said with a grin.  
"Nozomi-san!" Megumi turned to shout as she blushed harder at Nozomi's remark.  
"She's always like that," Eli apologized.  
"You'll get used to it pretty soon," Rin shrugged.  
Suddenly the ship was rocked by an explosion.  
"What was that?" Megumi asked.  
"Sorry about that," Sae replied. "Some enemies tried to attack us, but it's fine now."  
Megumi was about to cut the transmission when Hanayo screamed.  
She turned and saw that Shimada had managed to escape.  
"Hanayo!" Eli and Nozomi rushed to their friend to make sure she was okay.  
"I-I'm fine… sorry," Hanayo said.  
Megumi was already contacting the other 00 members aboard the ship. "Attention everyone, Dr. Shimada has escaped…."

BRIDGE

The whole exchange between the MS pilots was heard on the bridge. They had a view of Ryuko in her cockpit as she talked to Kanata, Mariko, and Honoka. Nakajima was sitting in the captain's chair, with Mayuyu pointing a micsaber at him. The other members of the team were similarly positioned. They've taken control of the bridge.  
"Ryuko…" Nakajima muttered.  
Suddenly they heard Megumi's emergency transmission at the same time as Shimada appeared in Ryuko's screen. All those on the bridge were terrified at what was happening.  
Ignoring Mayuyu, Nakajima pushed a button on his console to contact Shimada.  
"Shimada, you bastard! What's happening? I didn't approve any of this!"  
"Why, this is only the end of all my research, the merging of man and machine! What could be more perfect?" Shimada said.  
"SHIMADA!"  
"What's happening to her?" Mayuyu asked. "Answer me!"  
"Very well, if you insist," Shimada said. "Soon her body will become one with the Mobile Suit. She will be able to move it as if it were her own body. Excellent, isn't it?"  
"You sick bastard," Nakajima spat. He tried to contact Ryuko, pressing another button on his control console.  
"Ryuko! Ryuko! Answer me!"

Nakajima's cries went unheard as Ryuko continued her attack against Kanata, Mariko and Honoka.  
Mariko and Kanata were firing at the same time but Ryuko was able to dodge them all.  
"Her reaction speed…" Kanata said.  
"It's faster than before!" Mariko exclaimed.  
Ryuko attacked Kanata, who was currently weaker because of the damage her suit sustained.  
"This time I will protect you!"  
Mariko pulled out the axe weapon of the Jahanam and threw it at Ryuko, distracting her long enough for Kanata to get away.  
However now Ryuko was after Mariko.  
"Are you okay?" Honoka asked Kanata.  
"I'm fine, but go help Mariko!"  
Honoka nodded and started flying towards the Gusion, but she won't make it.  
"No!"  
The attack instead hit a Graze, who was holding a shield taken from a defeated Jahanam.  
"Did you miss us, perhaps?" Erena said as she pulled out the axe and readied herself for battle.  
Anju flew next to Erena, holding a gun also taken from a Jahanam.  
"Honoka, we'll distract her. Use that time to defeat her!"  
Mariko, Anju, and Erena attacked the Gusion from all sides, but the Gusion was just too fast. The battle-damaged state of their mechs didn't help either.  
"Honoka!"  
"Umi-chan?" Honoka saw her friend's face displayed on the screen.  
"Where are you right now?"  
"We've taken over the bridge of the enemy ship. Listen, Honoka. That girl is being mind-controlled right now. You have to break that control over her!"  
Honoka nodded. "I got it, Umi-chan! And I know just how."  
To get Ryuko's attention, Honoka fired her guns at her.  
Ryuko's attention was called to Honoka, and she immediately attacked her instead.  
Honoka blocked with her wrench mace.  
"It's time for me to demonstrate the power of songs!"

 _I say  
Hey, hey, hey START:DASH  
Hey, hey, hey START:DASH_

"Is Honoka… singing?" Umi asked.  
Kotori smiled at Umi, who nodded her head in reply.

 _Even newborn baby birds  
Will someday soar through the sky  
They'll fly with great, strong wings_

 _Don't ever give up  
That day will definitely come_

"Kotori-chan, Umi-chan!" Honoka was surprised but happy that her friends were singing with her. Soon enough, the others sang along with her.

 _You can feel it too, can't you?  
The beats of the beginning_

 _O Tomorrow, change!  
Transform into hope!  
Transform, illuminated by that brilliant light  
START!_

Honoka attacked the Gusion, Opening the wrench mace, but instead of biting the mace Ryuko responded by blocking with her left arm instead. Honoka ripped out that arm in response. Ryuko used that time to attack, stabbing the Barbatos and hitting the right shoulder armor, ripping it off.

 _Being closed in by sorrow  
And just crying - That isn't you  
With your blazing heart, you can definitely clear the way to the future  
Being closed in by sorrow  
And just crying is boring  
I'm sure (I'm sure)  
Your (dream's) power (right now)  
Can set things in motion  
I believe in you, so START!_

Not fazed, Honoka attacked again, this time succeeding to grab the axe. With only one arm, Ryuko has having more difficulty shaking Honoka off, as the sub-arms on the Gusion's back were too short to reach Honoka.

"Come back to us, Ryuko-chan! Remember why you became an idol!" Honoka said.  
"We are idols, and we aim to bring smiles to our audience! Isn't that right, Ryuko-chan!?"

Ryuko could hear their voices.  
She can't understand them, though.  
"…. We aim to bring smiles to our audience!"  
 _Honoka-san?  
Yes, that's right… we aim to bring smiles to our audience. But for me, someone with too much blood on her hands…  
_But she remembered Honoka's words earlier _. It is never too late.  
_ Ryuko opened her eyes and slowly started to gain control her own body.  
"Enough! I… I will become and idol! I will become someone Honoka-san will be proud of!"  
With force she removed the Embody helmet from her head.

Yuuko was watching all this from afar, amazed.  
"That's my Senpai, alright!"  
She was joined by Acchan and Chieri, who deployed to take up Erena and Anju's place when they left to fight Ryuko earlier.  
"Amazing," Acchan said.  
"So this is her power…" Chieri added.

"It's not over!"  
Shimada's voice could be heard again.  
"I've broken free of your machine, Shimada!" Ryuko said. "What now?"  
"The Gusion is rigged with explosives, my dear. And soon it will explode, killing you all!"  
A timer started to count down on the Gusion's display screen.

DES SHIP GUSION

"Damn it!" Shimada had started running towards the hangar in an attempt to escape. "I have to get out of here! There can be other opportunities, other test subjects. But first I must live!"  
"You're not going anywhere." Yuuka stepped out from the shadows and pointed a micsaber at him.  
"You're coming with us."  
Behind him Orine also appeared, armed with a micsaber.  
"You girls can't stop me!" Shimada pushed away Yuuka and started running away.  
"After him!" Yuuka chased after Shimada.  
Shimada had already reached the hangar and was moving past mobile suits, looking for a smaller vehicle.  
At that point though, another explosion happened, from the battle outside. It affected the restraints that were keeping one of the suits standing up. Without support, the suit started falling.  
Shimada, paralyzed with fear, could do nothing as he was crushed under its weight.

"It's no use, I can't stop it!" Ryuko said, typing furiously in an attempt to stop the bomb.  
"There's no choice. I have to take the suit above, in the sky, where no one will be harmed by the explosion."  
"But Ryuko, you—!" Kanata said.  
"There is no other way!" Ryuko shouted. "This is the only way for me to atone."  
A tear dropped down her cheek.  
"Looks like I won't get a second chance, after all…"  
Suddenly the Barbatos flew right in front of the Gusion, and the two were close enough that when the Barbatos' cockpit suddenly opened Ryuko was able to see Honoka inside. To her surprise, Honoka climbed out of the cockpit.  
Curious, she opened her own cockpit.  
"Honoka-san!"  
"Get out, Ryuko-chan," Honoka ordered.  
"Wha-what? Get out?" Ryuko stuttered, surprised.  
"I'll pilot this thing," Honoka announced all of a sudden.  
"But Honoka-san, this suit was made specifically for my control! You won't be able to move it!" Ryuko countered.  
"Clearly you underestimate me," Honoka replied, smiling at Ryuko.  
"No! I refuse to do it!" Ryuko insisted.  
"I'm sorry I have to do this," Honoka said. She punched Ryuko in the stomach, thus knocking her out. Afterwards she started to disconnect Ryuko from the cockpit when she saw that Ryuko was connected to the cockpit. Hoping that nothing goes wrong, Honoka undid the connection by pulling out the cord.  
Honoka checked Ryuko's pulse and was relieved that she was still alive.  
She then carried her to the cockpit of the Barbatos, and threw her inside.  
"Kanata, Mariko. Take care of Ryuko-chan for me," Honoka ordered as she adjusted to the controls inside the Rebake.  
"Honoka, wait—" Mariko tried to stop Honoka.  
Honoka closed the cockpit and started to try to get the Gusion to work.  
As Ryuko said, it seems the cockpit was modified so only Ryuko could ride it. Still, this was a Gundam Frame….

 _I feel that we have a chance  
Yes... let's push forward!  
I don't want to regret it later, our future lies right ahead_

"Move for me. Move for me, GUNDAM!"

 _Let's go! Do! I do! I live!  
Yes, Do! I do! I live!  
Let's go, let's go! Hi!_

The Gundam's eyes lit up as it responded to Honoka's control.  
"Alright, let's do this!" Honoka shouted with a light of determination in her eyes.

 _Look ahead, look up, don't wait for anything  
Let's go now, let's go quickly, we can go anywhere  
The sun's shining and beckoning the future  
Now come, you come too, forge ahead to tomorrow_

 _My passionate heart (Was overflowing with emotions)  
I embraced it and ran (It was painful)  
Everyone, come with me (I want to move my body more)  
And make sure I know what I'm capable of_

The Rebake started flying high into the sky. The Barbatos started falling. Kanata and Mariko rushed towards the falling suit, catching it. At that point the autopilot kicked in, stabilizing it.  
Looking inside the cockpit, Mariko saw the injured Ryuko inside.  
"Ryuko! She's safe!"  
"But that means…" Kanata looked towards the skies.

"Honoka, what are you doing? Honoka!" Umi was shouting at Honoka now. They had a clear view of the cockpit, showing Honoka piloting the Gusion.  
"Impossible… that cockpit was custom made! How…" Nakajima said in disbelief.  
"Honoka-chan! Please don't leave us!" Kotori cried.  
"I'm sorry. But this is something I have to do," Honoka replied.  
"You're leaving us again?" Nico shouted.  
"Nico-chan…" Maki tried to restrain Nico, but Nico shrugged her off.  
"You better come back, Honoka! Muse isn't Muse without you!"  
"Honoka-chan…" Rin wasn't able to say much as she comforted Hanayo, who was crying hard.  
"Honoka…" Eli was speechless as well.  
Nozomi only nodded. "Do what you have to do."  
"I'm truly happy to have met all of you," Honoka said. "Even after all we've been through, you still chose to stand by me, and that makes me truly happy. I thank you all."  
Honoka cleared some tears from her eyes before talking again.  
"I hope we meet again someday. Faito dayo!"  
Honoka cut off the transmission, leaving the display screen blank.

Yuuko had rushed to help Kanata and Mariko handle the Barbatos.  
Kanata and entered the cockpit to confirm if Ryuko is okay.  
Yuuko, meanwhile, just stared up in the sky. "Honoka-senpai…."

"Ryuko-chan? Ryuko-chan!"  
Ryuko woke up in Kanata's arms.  
She tried to move but can't, she was too hurt. She remembered what happened. Honoka knocked her out and replaced her as the Gusion's pilot. Which means…  
Ryuko forced herself outside the Barbatos' cockpit to get a view outside.  
"Ryuko, don't move! You're hurt!" Kanata said.  
Ryuko was just in time to see a flash of light above the sky.  
"You sacrificed your life for me… Honoka-san?"  
Ryuko cried, comforted by Kanata and Mariko.

Honoka climbed up into the sky, where the explosion can harm no one.  
Now it was just a matter of waiting for the inevitable.  
 _Did I do the right thing, Tsubasa-san?  
_ Honoka closed her eyes as the explosions started.  
 _I'm finally going to where you are… Tsubasa-san…_


	18. Epilogue 1

A few days passed, but the rain still hasn't lifted. Not only that; it just got heavier the day a funeral occurred near the shrine just a few minutes away from Otonokizaka. It seemed the rain followed the mood of that funeral.

Everyone who was considered as Muse's acquaintances attended the funeral, which is, to say, a few hundred people. Their families, friends, school mates, even fellow school idols, especially Erena and Anju. A group was crying and sobbing, while the others remained silent all throughout. Basically, all of them were sad because of their members has fallen in battle.

That member was Honoka Kousaka, the leader of Muse.

Even Muse themselves attended the funeral. They all tried really hard not to cry while looking at Honoka's photo adorned with flowers. Who wouldn't be sad? It was an image of their friend, and it would always remind them of how she died in that explosion every time they looked at it.

Along with the rain, it was a really solemn atmosphere. Well, at least it was supposed to be.

"Whose funeral is this?"

In the midst of tears and utter silence, a familiar voice asked. It was a surprise for all of them, because all of them knew whose voice that one was. They all turned to the source of the voice, and there they saw the very same image as the one being buried. They looked at the photo, and back at the person in front of them. Back at the photo, then at the person in front of them. Who knew they made a pretty good resemblance?

…

"Honoka / Honoka-chan / Honoka-san?!" all of them screamed in what seemed like a unison.

"Honoka! Is that you?" Umi exclaimed, in her own disbelief.

"You doubting my existence? I'm here, Umi-chan!" Honoka joyfully replied, twisting in position. I was asking around the neighborhood on where you guys are, and they all told me that you're attending a funeral. So! Whose funeral is this? I'd like to offer my condolences to whoever passed away."

All of them were speechless. How could it be?

"We-We thought you were dead…" Eli stuttered, but she broke the growing tension.

"We saw it with our own eyes," Nico followed Eli's thought.

"You got caught up in that explosion, didn't you?" Maki doubted.

All of them were raining their own disbeliefs at Honoka. "The one piloting that mech was you, wasn't it?", "There's no way you could've survived such a devastating explosion!", "And you don't even look injured!"

"… Eh…?" Honoka merely sounded, clueless of why people would worry about her. She was just as safe and clean as before.

"You owe us an explanation, Honoka-chan!" Rin caught Honoka's attention. "Tell us. How did you come out of that explosion uninjured?"

"A-Ah, that…" Honoka came to a realization. "I went Center Nova before the explosion took place."

"You went what?!" Umi practically screamed, as if still stunned at her best friend's image.

"That's right! I've achieved Center Nova, was transported into the other dimension, and came back here! Come on, guys. I know you-re—?!" She was cut off when she got slapped hard across the face by Umi herself.

"Don't give us your crappy lies!" Umi shouted, but was surprised herself that what she touched was flesh. She fully expected that her slap would pass through to convince herself that Honoka was dead, but the results told her otherwise. She gasped and was rendered speechless.

"… That hurt, Umi-chan…" Honoka teared up as she soothed out the pain in her left cheek. "Did you even know how much pain I was in all this time?"

"Th-That's because you made us worry too much!" Umi defended, tears already coming out of her eyes. "It's painful, Honoka! We already saw Tsubasa dead with our own eyes, then next came you! It's double the pain you're experiencing right now! Damn you, Honoka!" Out of impulse, Umi hugged Honoka tightly.

Honoka just stared at Umi, but then soon came to respond by hugging her back. The rest of Muse then joined in, getting their part in a hug with Honoka. The latter smiled to this and was grateful she had a talk with Sensei-sensei before she engaged into battle.

FLASHBACK: SENSEI-SENSEI

 _Honoka gained control of her sub-consciousness and got access into the dimension where she could talk with Sensei-sensei._

 _"Sensei-sensei," Honoka called out._

 _The entity gave out no particular response, but Honoka, much like Katagiri Tsubasa and the others, understood what he meant. "What is it, dear?"_

 _"I… will achieve Center Nova in this very battle," Honoka announced. "I will get sent into the other dimension once again. I will surpass Yuuko-chan and Chieri-chan and become the very first member to attempt Center Nova two times."_

 _Sensei-sensei remain silent._

 _"Which is why I want to ask one last favor from you," Honoka continued, her head high and her eyes filled with determination. "… I want to talk with Tsubasa-chan on the other side. I want to clear things up with her. Then after that, please… send me back to Earth. I want to keep performing with the rest of the girls from Muse. I want to keep making people smile right at my home."_

 _Sensei-sensei glowed again. "A talk with Kira Tsubasa, you say... and then get sent back to Earth after that… What about AKB?"_

 _"I-I'll make sure to make up to them for the lost time I failed to spend with them. Especially with Ryuko-chan," Honoka answered. "AKB was like my first home, so I can't abandon it. But Earth… is special. Of course I know there will be conditions, but this is very important, Sensei-sensei. Please."_

 _After a few seconds of no response, Sensei-sensei finally gave his answer. It was a bright glow which never even needed translation for her to understand. "Very well. I'll grant your wish."_

 _"Yes! Thank you very much, Sensei-sensei!" Honoka exclaimed out of happiness. "I'll do you proud!"_

AKIHABARA, UTX ACADEMY

It's been a calm environment in UTX Academy, even after Kira Tsubasa passed away. Erena and Anju kept solemn faces, trying to act tough in front of their juniors before they finally left the school.

It was break time, and the two were just buying coffee before heading to their lounge room, where they made memories together with Tsubasa, as well as with Muse. It was quite the memorable year for A-RISE.

As they were entering the room, though, they saw Honoka seated on the sofa.

"Good day to you two, Erena-san. Anju-san," Honoka greeted, a calm smile on her face. "I kinda sat down while waiting for you two to get lunch. Sorry." She then giggled, which brought as smile to Erena and Anju's faces.

"It's okay. We don't mind," Erean assured and then set her coffee on the table.

"Did you want something from us?" Anju asked, following her partner.

"I want to share my experience while in the other side," Honoka answered, this time serious. "To tell you the truth, I… met with Tsubasa there."

"Oh? What did she say?" Erena calmly asked as she took her first sip.

"Oh? I thought you'd be surprised. I fail at surprising people," Honoka joked and laughed. "Anyway, it's a long story. Wanna listen?"

FLASHBACK: ALTERNATE DIMENSION

Honoka regained her consciousness and found herself in the same dimension she was in when she went Center Nova. She's succeeded in her plan. Honoka looked at the spiral staircase leading to the top. Yes, this was it. The first phase of her plan went by successfully.

"Yo, Honoka," a familiar voice greeted. Honoka turned to the voice with a big smile on her face, as she knew that the person behind the voice was the one she wanted to see and hear.

"Tsubasa-san! I missed you!" Honoka happily greeted back, and hugged Tsubasa. Well, at least she wanted to, if it weren't for a fact that Tsubasa was floating. She almost fell down.

"Calm down, Honoka," Tsubasa reprimanded, but seemed rather happier than she was supposed to be, for Honoka was before her very eyes. "I miss you too. As much as I'm glad we've been reunited, it's just for a short while, because this was just all of what Sensei-sensei could muster."

"Y-Yeah, you're right," Honoka confirmed and laughed a bit before curving her lips into a smile. "Anyways, I'm glad to see you, too. As much as I have so much to talk about with you, it seems we have limited time, so I'll get on to it. Have you been fine so far?"

"That's a rude question to ask a spirit. Of course I'm fine." Tsubasa pouted. "It's me who should be asking about you. How've you been? What about Anju and Erena?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine…" Honoka replied, somehow a bit shy. "It's been long since you… you know. I've been in for a mix of emotions after that. Erena-san and Anju-san went through the same thing as well. But we're fine now."

"… Sorry, Honoka," Tsubasa apologized and bowed before Honoka. "It's my fault for not being strong enough to defend and fight for myself. It even caused Erena and Anju trouble. Had I fought for a bit longer, all this wouldn't have happened."

"I-It's okay, Tsubasa-san," Honoka waved it off. "We've been blaming ourselves as well, but it's okay now. To be honest, it helped us become stronger." She then looked at her hand and gripped it. "You taught us to fight not for you, but for ourselves. We knew that bringing ourselves down would not help us get back up. We knew it would disappoint you, as your passing away would be for naught."

"… You've grown strong, Honoka," Tsubasa said subconsciously, with her signature smile. "Anyways, will you be pursuing being an idol?"

"I've always been ready to pursue that path," Honoka answered with all certainty. "I may have lost my way once, but I'm ready to go back and continue that path."

"That's the spirit," Tsubasa acknowledged Honoka's answer. "What about Anju and Erena? Are they still in the condition to continue?"

"Well, they've regained their passion of singing, so yeah, I guess they still are."

"If that's so, then tell them to pursue their own path. If they still want to become idols, tell them to pursue it. It's their right to do so," Tsubasa said.

"I will do just that," Honoka responded with a nod. "Tsubasa-san, wherever you will be, always be sure to guide us, alright?"

"I will do just that," Tsubasa answered, laughing at her own remark, which simply copied Honoka's. "Oh, it's time. It's just short-lived happiness we were in, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Honoka muttered. "Goodbye, Tsubasa-san."

"Goodbye, Honoka."

END OF FLASHBACK

"And that's how it ended," Honoka concluded. "Then everything went black, then I found myself back in my house. The end."

"… Tsubasa," Erena called out, her eyes facing the view of Akiba before her.

"To be honest, Erena and I decided to disband A-RISE," Anju confessed.

"Eh? Why so?" Honoka asked.

"It's just not the same without Tsubasa in it," Erena explained. "We'll just get through college and pursue our dreams. She then faced Anju, who looked back and smiled.

"O-Oh, I see," Honoka simply said before standing up.  
"How's that girl, by the way?" Erena asked.  
"That girl? Oh, you mean Ryuko-chan…" Honoka replied. "She-she's fine."  
After the battle Ryuko was hesitant to approach the two. She did cause them a lot of pain, after all.

Anju finally talked. "Tell her we forgive her."  
Erena nodded. "It's not easy, but Tsubasa will not want us to live carrying a grudge in her hearts."  
Honoka breathed a sigh of relief.  
"On one condition though," Erena added.  
"What condition?"  
Anju and Erena smiled. "That she continue being an idol," Anju replied.  
"Of course!" Honoka said.

"Well, that's all I wanted to tell you. I'll be on my way. See y—" Honoka was about to step out when she stopped in her tracks.

"What is it?" Anju asked, tilting her head.

"By the way, the two of you suddenly got back to your spirits before the battle. How exactly were you able to recover from Tsubasa-san's death?" Honoka asked the very question that has been bothering her for so long.

"Ah, that?" Erena reminisced and smiled at the thought. "Someone named Chieri sang us a beautiful song!"

"Ah, I remember!" Anju exclaimed as she recalled the event along with Erena. "Her voice was just so charming that our hearts were soothed off the pain."

"… Damn those successors… They're so gonna get it…" Honoka muttered curses, with a comically dark expression.

"Wh-What's wrong?" Erena asked.

"I got slapped one by one by ALL the successors!" Honoka shouted and ran out of the Academy. "Damn this unfair recovery system! DAMN IIIT!"

AKB0048 BATTLESHIP KATYUSHA, PRACTICE ROOM 1

"I said I'm sorry already, senpai!" Yuuko was already on the verge of desperation as she pleaded for Honoka's forgiveness. "It was a spur of the moment, you know!"

Honoka played hard to get, crossed her arms and turned away from Yuuko with a "Hmph!" She still has not moved on from how she was slapped by the successors.

"Ahhh, they used to get along…" Yuki Kashiwagi chuckled softly as she looked at the two from a distance.

Acchan laughed and then said, "This is just their way of getting along. Look." She then ushered Yuka to look at both Yuuko's and Honoka's faces. While Honoka was pouting, she hid beneath it a smile. Yuuko seemed to be having fun as well.

All of a sudden, the door bursted, revealing a three membered team of Kanata and Mariko, led by Ryuko.

"Ryuko-chan, aren't you being a bit too reckless?" Mariko tried to stop Ryuko from going in any further, but the black-haired girl insisted.

"This is merely to deliver a message, Mariko-san!" Ryuko shouted with pride as she moved forward, to where Honoka and Yuuko were standing. "Honoka-san! Yuuko-san!"

The two faced Ryuko, curious of the latter's intrusion.

"I challenge you two! This coming Election, I'll make sure to do my best and surpass you two for the top!" Ryuko announced, her face proud and determined. "I hope you'll do your best as well! Maybe I can even make Yuuko-san here graduate and make me inherit the name!"

"Oooh, a challenge… Interesting…" Yuuko muttered, snickering a little bit. "Aren't you a toughie! Very well! I'll take your challenge head on! Be sure you don't fall behind very soon, a'ight?!"

"You got it! Be sure you won't stumble!" Ryuko shot back,

"Yeah, I'll take that challenge on as well," Honoka calmly accepted and smiled at Ryuko. "By the way, Ryuko-chan, how've you been? How's the captain of the Gusion… Nakajima-san, wasn't it?"

"Ah, if it's about me, I'm rocking like ever before! And Nakajima-sama has been fine. I'll need to bring him new clothes tomorrow, though," Ryuko informed. "He's been using the same clothes for five consecutive days, after all. He's making his cell stink."

"Th-That's good to hear…" Honoka laughed softly, as even Ryuko noticed her captain's smell getting stronger.

"As much as he was an enemy towards us idols, he was still concerned about us and even asked if everyone has been doing well," Ryuko continued. "He's like the father of all idols, and I admire him for that." She smiled as the thought, and Honoka did so, too.

So even DES has some good people inside of them, after all.

"Anyways! Don't forget my challenge, okay?! See you!" Ryuko waved her hand and ran out of the practice room.

"R-Ryuko, wait!" Kanata called out. She then turned towards the group and bowed. "Pardon our interruption. Ryuko just feels energetic today. Have a nice day ahead. If you'll excuse us." She then ran off to follow Ryuko. Mariko bowed as well before going along with Kanata.

Honoka sighed, feeling happy that Ryuko has found a place she truly belonged. Both Honoka and Ryuko became the 79th Generation Understudies, both aiming to succeed Yuuko Ooshima's name with a current one still standing with them. She was sure to have fun with three of them aiming for the same name.

A knock on them door interrupted her thoughts, and came in Tsubasa Katagiri, with a device at hand.

"Honoka Kousaka," Tsubasa called out.

"Tsubasa-san," Honoka responded, standing straight.

"Don't be so formal. You're technically older than me," Tsubasa giggled. "Anyways, I'm here to hand you this device." She then handed the tool to Honoka.

"What is this?" Honoka asked as she received the tool.

"It's a device for you to use as a distress call for AKB. You press that button here, a miniature Kirara Drive is sent through space and then a signal will be sent for us to respond to. In a short while, we'll be back here on Earth, your timeline."

"So you won't be staying for too long, huh…" Honoka muttered. "Does this device have anything for me to call and go to where you are as well?"

"I thought you'd ask that," Tsubasa smiled. "Yes, it has features so that you can get here and the get back whenever you wish, or make simple calls. We can also do the same to give you a distress call or call you here."

"Yes, I needed that, thanks," Honoka said before bowing. "It seems I'm just getting in the way. You can be off now. I'll miss you guys. I'll be going to Akibastar from time to time, though. Can't afford to miss the Elections and lose to Ryuko-chan at the same time!"

"Yeah! That's my senpai!" Yuuko praised and tapped Honoka in the back. "Be sure to call sometimes, okay?"

"I'll do just that," Honoka followed with a smile. "Good bye, guys."

She then disappeared before the group.

OTONOKIZAKA ACADEMY, GATES

When Honoka was brought down, she met Muse right at the gates.

"Hey, girls," Honoka greeted, and the girls returned the greeting. Well, it seemed weird, because there was a familiar voice that sent chills on her back whenever she heard that specific voice.

Why, it was no one other than Umi in her Demon Coach mode.

"Seems like you had enough fun up there, I assume," Umi deeply muttered, seeming scaring Honoka.

"U-Umi-chan, calm down… What is it?" Honoka asked, already nervous about why Umi was as mad as a demon.

"Math remedials, Honoka-chan…" Kotori answered Honoka's question in Umi's stead. "All of a sudden, Umi remembered that we missed quizzes for a decent amount of time, so she wants top grades by the time we got back."

"And we even have a story to tell our classmates," Rin added, seemingly excited to become the class storyteller.

"Surely you can't even tell the story in the correct order. Let me do it," Maki argued.

"Y-You two, calm down…" Hanayo tried to make peace between the two.

"And we have a live coming next week. We missed a lot of lives since," Eli added to the list of the things Muse needs to catch up on.

"We haven't even prepared a song yet!" Nico complained. "And a music to even boot with it! And practice, much less dance steps!"

"Calm down, Nicocchi. Surely we can prepare for all of them in a short amount of time," Nozomi assured. "We're a team here, after all."

"Fo-For now, why don't we all calm down? I just got back…" Honoka excused as she took a few steps back.

"Oh, no you ain't going anywhere! We need to study for the Math remedials, Honoka! Get back here!" Umi shouted as she started the chase.

"Umi-chaaan! Nooooo!" Honoka panicked and ran away, into the doors of the school.

"You two! Don't run while in school grounds!" Eli reprimanded as she jogged along with them. Kotori just laughed and ran along. Soon, the others followed along with the four.

This is the life of nine school idols with unsure futures, except one of them came from the future.

FIN


	19. Epilogue 2

_It's not over yet! Here's a small preview of what's to come next..._

3 YEARS LATER

UCHIURA, URANOHOSHI GIRLS ACADEMY

The weather forecast predicted a sunny day that day. To this forecast, Uranohoshi's second-year Takami Chika felt overjoyed.

"Yes! It's the perfect weather for practice!" she exclaimed as she rushed out of their inn and then ran forward, towards her beloved school—Uranohoshi Girls Academy.

As she ran, Chika passed by her school mate and fellow Aqours member Ohara Mari. Chika called for the latter, and the blonde took off her headphones to greet Chika back.

"Are you excited for practice, Mari-chan?" Chika, excited herself, asked the third-year.

"Of course!" Mari, with a big smile on her face, responded. "I'm in the mood to sing again today! Like, I'm _excited_!" she added. She then looked up at the sky, thinking about how practice will go, but her thoughts were disrupted when she saw something weird. She stopped in her tracks and frowned.

Chika looked at her friend and then lost her smile. "What are you looking at, Mari-chan?" she asked. The blonde, however, was too stunned to respond. Chika then noticed a large shadow covering the sun. She then got curious and then followed to where Mari was looking at. Chika's mouth gaped open and her eyes widened. It should be impossible.

It was a DES ship floating above them. But how could that have been possible?

They had no time to run the very moment a missile was launched and was headed towards them.

DES BATTLESHIP KIMARIS, BRIDGE

"Kirara signals detected! Around ten kilometers from us, one hundred and twenty degrees!" the sonar technician reported.

"Artillery! Fire a Type-1 missile towards that point! We should eliminate every Kirara signals we detect!" the captain ordered, and the said crew saluted before giving out locations and firing points.

"Captain, are you sure we shouldn't just abduct the girl?" the captain's assistant asked. "If the higher-ups find out we mutinied, who knows what measures they'll take?"

"I don't care!" the captain roared. "Nakajima is way too soft-hearted towards those girls, while our main goal is to eliminate the concept of entertainment once and for all! Ready the missile!"

"Type-1 missile! Ready to fire!" one of the crew announced.

"Commence fire!" the captain immediately ordered. "Eliminate that girl at all costs! We'll see the fall of entertainment in time!" The captain, Kirishima, laughed as the missile was launched.


End file.
